It feels like heresy to suggest the moral equivalence of species. I don't think I'm even allowed to go there. To say that humans have no inherent superiority to cows is the hurtful accusation of animalism directed at all of humanity. To liken the worth of hyenas to that of ticks is to deny the divine gift that are quadrupedal mammals in whom we see ourselves. To suggest that barnacles and bacteria are evolutionary cousins is a truly offensive leap of faith that coldly assigns worth to a life form we massacre by the billions every time we brush our teeth. To assert that single-celled organisms and sheetrock have a common ancestor in the cores of exploding stars is tantamount to the beyond-absurd argument that life is but an accidental configuration of matter. In deference to decorum, I would never spew such hate as that.
