The world’s best-known bioethicist, Peter Singer, of Princeton University, has confirmed that human beings are amongst his favourite animals. Forbes magazine recently asked him for five nominations. Singer chose rats (“Intelligent, clean and very cute”), dolphins (“enjoys playing in the surf”), pigs (not “lazy or greedy or dirty”), chimpanzees and human beings. Here are excerpts from his brief observations on the last two:

Chimpanzees: “It is us, not gorillas or orangutans, who are the closest relatives of chimpanzees... in chimpanzees, we see the roots of our own nature. They live in small groups, forming close friends with some and competing with others. Different groups develop different cultures, learning to obtain and eat different foods. They are self-aware and plan for the future. And when their children die, they grieve.”

Human Beings: “Humans have done, and are still doing, immense damage to other animals, including other humans. We may yet destroy our planet and every other animal living on it. Yet I cannot leave them out of a list of my favorite animals. Nature itself is by no means benign. A world without humans would still involve a lot of pointless suffering, and it would continue indefinitely. The evolution of mammals intelligent enough to think ethically and develop a scientific understanding of our universe offers the only hope that one day things may be better.” ~ Forbes, Mar 31