so yeah. this might be a bit too much of a hardcore thread for christmas eve, but i've got an essay to do and would be interested to hear some other opinions on said topic

do animals have rights of their own?
should they be considered equal to humans in some ways?
can we justify farming, killing, and eating them?
what should our relationship to animals be, morally speaking?

does anyone care?

personally, i have been swayed by utiliarian arguments, and believe that we ought to respect the rights of animals by not mistreating them or indeed treating them as mere 'resources' for human benefit. who agrees with me?