by John Cowley

Created on: September 23, 2008

Why do I value the life of a rabbit more than the life of a slug?

The writer was prompted to suggest this title following a spring (southern hemisphere) walk through his garden and greenhouse. What does one do with the slugs and snails picked off the cabbages and broccoli? Most of the time they are squashed, rather unceremoniously, under foot without any respect for the fact that they are living creatures. Perhaps I can justify my actions on the basis that the slugs were eating my cabbages and therefore they warranted the death penalty for committing such a heinous crime. Then again, I consider the similar case of a young rabbit accidentally trapped in my garden when we erected the wallaby proof fence several months ago. He, I'm rather hoping that it is a he, eats far more than the slugs or snails and yet my wife and I enjoy watching him munch away on our plants. Why do I value the life of a rabbit more than the life of a slug?

This question may be considered rather trivial by some readers until they consider more carefully the fundamental scientific and philosophical issues at stake. Scientifically, based on DNA, the slug is not that different from a human being. Of course we have a more detailed genome and subsequently our anatomy and physiology differ greatly from the slug (no pun intended). However the basic DNA structure is something shared by all life forms other than viruses, we have the same codons for producing more or less the same amino acids and proteins that make up our bodies. We look different, we behave differently and therefore we can justify our deference to one life form over another. The writer ought to mention at this point that he is not approaching the question from any particular religious viewpoint, or promoting animal rights, this is better left to others who are better qualified.

The scientific answer to the question probably lies in the "selfish" genes carried on the human genome. Richard Dawkins has written a very interesting book on this subject which is recommended to the interested reader. Dawkins describes our human bodies as gene machines, controlled in such a way as to perpetuate the genes themselves rather than the human organism as a whole. Thus genes may be responsible for sacrificial actions on the part of an individual, if that action preserves the gene carrying offspring and allows them to survive and reproduce. It all sounds rather cynical and detracts from what we consider to be the more "noble" activities of some selfless

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