--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The problem is that for almost any…" description: "\"The problem is that for almost any feature of humanity that you can name, whether it's the ability to suffer, whether it's the capacity to reason, whet..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80a/dale-jamieson-4075_ability_the-problem-is-that-for-almost-any-featu_2686829.jpg" --- # The problem is that for almost any feature of humanity… ![“The problem is that for almost any feature of humanity that you can name, whether it's the ability to suffer, whether it's the capacity to reason, whether it's having lives that can go better or worse, there are at least some other non-human animals that have all of these features as well. So to…” quote by Dale Jamieson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80a/dale-jamieson-4075_ability_the-problem-is-that-for-almost-any-featu_2686829.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80a/dale-jamieson-4075_ability_the-problem-is-that-for-almost-any-featu_2686829.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/80a/dale-jamieson-4075_ability_the-problem-is-that-for-almost-any-featu_2686829.jpg) > “The problem is that for almost any feature of humanity that you can name, whether it's the ability to suffer, whether it's the capacity to reason, whether it's having lives that can go better or worse, there are at least some other non-human animals that have all of these features as well. So to exclude non-human animals from the range of moral concern but to include all humans, just seems morally arbitrary.” [Dale Jamieson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-jamieson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human and non‑human animals share capacities like suffering and reasoning, making exclusion of animals from moral concern arbitrary. **In simple terms:** Animals share key capacities with humans, so excluding them is unfair. Key Takeaway Treat all sentient beings with equal moral consideration. Themes ethics animal rights morality Mood thoughtful concerned Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - animal research - dietary choices - legislation - education - activism Key Concepts sentience moral arbitrariness speciesism Questions to Reflect On - What capacities do you think matter most morally? - How can societies balance human and animal interests? A Different Perspective Humans may argue differences in complexity justify exclusion. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Concern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concern/) [Human Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-animals-666674/) [Humanity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humanity/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [Moral Concern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral-concern-658850/) [Morally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morally/) [Morally Arbitrary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morally-arbitrary-2625319/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) ## Related quotes > [The individualism of current economic theory is manifest in the purely self-interested behaviour it generally assumes. 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For these reasons they are relatively unbiased.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-jamieson/philosophers-are-smart-analytical-and-skeptical-for-these-reasons/) [Dale Jamieson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-jamieson/) > [The millennium development goals are important, both morally and economically, because much of the world's population maybe is as much as a third of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-jamieson/the-millennium-development-goals-are-important-both-morally-and/) [Dale Jamieson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-jamieson/) [Explore all 116 Dale Jamieson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-jamieson/) ## More Ability quotes > [I don't think there's a direct correlation between my sexuality and my skiing ability. 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Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/) [Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/) > [The youth of India has the strength to move the entire World with a click of a mouse, we have generated that ability!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/the-youth-of-india-has-the-strength-to-move-the-entire-world-with-a/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [An absolutely necessary part of a writer's equipment, almost as necessary as talent, is the ability to stand up under punishment, both the punishment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-shaw/an-absolutely-necessary-part-of-a-writer-s-equipment-almost-as/) [Irwin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-shaw/) > [I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. 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