The same can be said for all human emotions and mental abilities. A cat playing with a ball of yarn is able to get as much pleasure as a human being does when engaging in a pleasant activity. To date, scientists and other researchers have not been able to provide evidence of differences between human beings and animals (Wilson, 2004). Furthermore, scientists argue that the only differences evident between human beings and animals are those of "degree" and not "differences of kind" (Wilson, 2004). In this regard, it would be immoral to treat animals differently from human beings. .
Most opponents of animal rights justify the denial of rights such as freedom from torture and suffering by citing the high rate of intelligence of human beings. These individuals argue that human beings are intelligent and this outweighs the mental abilities of animals (Wilson, 2004). This argument is misleading. Human beings are not the only form of intelligent life in the natural world. Studies have been able to show that the Koko gorilla has an IQ of up to 80 (Wilson, 2004). This is just a meager 20 points short of the average human IQ (Wilson, 2004). In this regard, it would be unfair to subject these highly intelligent animals to pain and torture. Furthermore, the human intelligence argument is further disapproved by the issue of relevancy (Wilson, 2004). Intelligence is not a relevant factor in pain and suffering. There is no scientific evidence that has been able to show a difference in the perception of pain between dumb and smart individuals (Wilson, 2004). In this manner, human beings should not assume that animals suffer and feel pain in a manner that is different from the human experience of pain and suffering. .
In addition to their freedom from torture and suffering, animals should not be discriminated against due to their species. Human beings tend to mistreat animals because they believe that the human species is more superior.
