---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The elephants we have seen taunted and…"
description: "\"“The elephants we have seen taunted and tormented and slaughtered by the likes of Safari Club do not have time to wait while the world's ethicists work..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aeb/matthew-scully-12509_animal_the-elephants-we-have-seen-taunted-and-t_2680930.png"
---

#  The elephants we have seen taunted and tormented and…

![“The elephants we have seen taunted and tormented and slaughtered by the likes of Safari Club do not have time to wait while the world's ethicists work out some centuries-long paradigm shift in moral thought.” quote by Matthew Scully](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aeb/matthew-scully-12509_animal_the-elephants-we-have-seen-taunted-and-t_2680930.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aeb/matthew-scully-12509_animal_the-elephants-we-have-seen-taunted-and-t_2680930.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aeb/matthew-scully-12509_animal_the-elephants-we-have-seen-taunted-and-t_2680930.png)

> ““The elephants we have seen taunted and tormented and slaughtered by the likes of Safari Club do not have time to wait while the world's ethicists work out some centuries-long paradigm shift in moral thought.””

[Matthew Scully](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-scully/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

He argues that waiting for moral philosophers to shift ethics delays urgent action against animal cruelty.

**In simple terms:** Waiting for ethical debates stalls needed action.

Key Takeaway

Act now rather than await philosophical consensus.

Themes

animal rights activism urgency

Mood

urgent advocacy

Type

activist ethical

When to use this quote

- policy change
- activist campaigns
- public awareness
- legislation

Key Concepts

ethical pragmatism moral urgency

Questions to Reflect On

- What immediate steps can be taken now?
- How to balance ethical reflection with urgent action?

A Different Perspective

Moral debates can guide better actions.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Elephants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elephants/) [Elephants Seen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elephants-seen-2580016/) [Ethicists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethicists-336901/) [Ethicists Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethicists-work-2580017/) [Paradigm shift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paradigm-shift/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [World Ethicists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-ethicists-2580018/)

## Related quotes

> [“With the death of what Sydney Smith described as rational religon and the proponents of what remains sending out such confusing and uncertain messages,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-d-james-2/with-the-death-of-what-sydney-smith-described-as-rational-religon-and/)

[P.D. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-d-james-2/)

> [I'm sorry to see that again we are turning to the courts for decisions that concern ethics. I think theologians and ethicists would better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-p-crawford/i-m-sorry-to-see-that-again-we-are-turning-to-the-courts-for/)

[Susan P. Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-p-crawford/)

> [“Schwitzgebel even scrounged up the missing-book lists from dozens of libraries and found that academic books on ethics, which are presumably borrowed mostly by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/schwitzgebel-even-scrounged-up-the-missing-book-lists-from-dozens-of-2/)

[Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/)

> [“One has to understand the dynamics of the species and habitat in question, and most armchair ethicists haven’t the faintest clue.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-durant/one-has-to-understand-the-dynamics-of-the-species-and-habitat-in/)

[John Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-durant/)

> [“Evil ethicists are the holocaust of humanity; if philosophy can be the instant sunlight to their endless vampirism, it will save more lives than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-molyneux/evil-ethicists-are-the-holocaust-of-humanity-if-philosophy-can-be-the/)

[Stefan Molyneux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-molyneux/)

> [“Christian ethicists appear in public as figures struggling”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-m-kapic/christian-ethicists-appear-in-public-as-figures-struggling/)

[Kelly M. Kapic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-m-kapic/)

> [It always makes me super nervous how many tech companies don't have data ethicists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-quinn/it-always-makes-me-super-nervous-how-many-tech-companies-don-t-have/)

[Zoe Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-quinn/)

> [“Schwitzgebel even scrounged up the missing-book lists from dozens of libraries and found that academic books on ethics, which are presumably borrowed mostly by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/schwitzgebel-even-scrounged-up-the-missing-book-lists-from-dozens-of/)

[Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/)

> [“As a result of these broad trends, contemporary Christian ethicists appear in public as figures struggling with the paradoxical task of articulating the insights…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-m-kapic/as-a-result-of-these-broad-trends-contemporary-christian-ethicists/)

[Kelly M. Kapic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-m-kapic/)

> [The progressive integration of new technologies in our economy amounts to a paradigm shift with a profound impact on the context and content of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-de-croo/the-progressive-integration-of-new-technologies-in-our-economy/)

[Alexander De Croo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-de-croo/)

> [We urgently need a paradigm shift in our concept of the purposes and practices of education. We need to leave behind the concept of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/we-urgently-need-a-paradigm-shift-in-our-concept-of-the-purposes-and/)

[Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/)

> [“Your reality may not be as bad as you see it through the lens of your eyes, but it’s because that’s how you think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cosmina-movilescu/your-reality-may-not-be-as-bad-as-you-see-it-through-the-lens-of-your/)

[Cosmina Movilescu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cosmina-movilescu/)

> [Citizens across the United States are now uniting in a great cause to establish a Department of Peace, seeking nothing less than the transformation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-kucinich/citizens-across-the-united-states-are-now-uniting-in-a-great-cause-to/)

[Dennis Kucinich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-kucinich/)

> [“Unlocking your potential begins with a paradigm shift.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/itayi-garande/unlocking-your-potential-begins-with-a-paradigm-shift/)

[Itayi Garande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/itayi-garande/)

> [The mantra of the new historicists was "we have betrayed ourselves." Since their emergence, there have been more or less interesting paradigm shifts having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-fry/the-mantra-of-the-new-historicists-was-we-have-betrayed-ourselves/)

[Paul Fry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-fry/)

## More by Matthew Scully

> [“at their disposal. So they assemble in protests to convey their objections. What’s wrong with that? A similar outpouring came recently from American Walter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-scully/at-their-disposal-so-they-assemble-in-protests-to-convey-their/)

[Matthew Scully](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-scully/)

> [Perhaps that is part of the animals' role among us, to awaken humility, to turn our minds back to the mystery of things, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-scully/perhaps-that-is-part-of-the-animals-role-among-us-to-awaken-humility/)

[Matthew Scully](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-scully/)

> [The truth is that at the White House and in Congress, you are as likely to find sympathy for animal issues among Republicans as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-scully/the-truth-is-that-at-the-white-house-and-in-congress-you-are-as/)

[Matthew Scully](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-scully/)

> [Animals are more than ever a test of our character, of mankind's capacity for empathy and for decent, honorable conduct and faithful stewardship. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-scully/animals-are-more-than-ever-a-test-of-our-character-of-mankind-s/)

[Matthew Scully](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-scully/)

> [“When a man’s love of finery clouds his moral judgment, that is vanity. When he lets a demanding palate make his moral choices, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-scully/when-a-man-s-love-of-finery-clouds-his-moral-judgment-that-is-vanity/)

[Matthew Scully](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-scully/)

> [“In any case I just cannot imagine attaching so much importance to any food or treat that I would grow irate or bitter at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-scully/in-any-case-i-just-cannot-imagine-attaching-so-much-importance-to-any/)

[Matthew Scully](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-scully/)

> [Factory farming, like comparable evils throughout history, depends for its existence upon concealment. It depends on people either not noticing or willfully averting their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-scully/factory-farming-like-comparable-evils-throughout-history-depends-for/)

[Matthew Scully](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-scully/)

> [When we call something unfair or indecent or unconscionable or evil, when we speak of mercy and pity and compassion, those words have meaning,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-scully/when-we-call-something-unfair-or-indecent-or-unconscionable-or-evil/)

[Matthew Scully](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-scully/)

> [Regarding factory-farmed animals We owe them a merciful death, and we owe them a merciful life. And when human beings cannot do something humanely,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-scully/regarding-factory-farmed-animals-we-owe-them-a-merciful-death-and-we/)

[Matthew Scully](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-scully/)

> [An environmentalist can oppose factory farming because it's reckless stewardship. A conservative can oppose factory farming because it is destructive to small farmers and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-scully/an-environmentalist-can-oppose-factory-farming-because-it-s-reckless/)

[Matthew Scully](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-scully/)

> [“I think he overlook a phase: that empathy stage in our lives when we may begin to see even the commonest animals on their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-scully/i-think-he-overlook-a-phase-that-empathy-stage-in-our-lives-when-we/)

[Matthew Scully](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-scully/)

> [“The corporate farmer is the absent farmer, the stranger on his own property, too important to worry about little details like whether a pig…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-scully/the-corporate-farmer-is-the-absent-farmer-the-stranger-on-his-own/)

[Matthew Scully](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-scully/)

> [“Reforms will come as all great reforms have always come in ridding us of evils against both man and animal--not as we change our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-scully/reforms-will-come-as-all-great-reforms-have-always-come-in-ridding-us/)

[Matthew Scully](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-scully/)

> [“I know many people far more upright and conscientous than I am who disagree, who think nothing of it. I know that vegetarianism runs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-scully/i-know-many-people-far-more-upright-and-conscientous-than-i-am-who/)

[Matthew Scully](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-scully/)

> [“If animals are just commodities, then we are just consumers, with no greater good than material pleasure and no higher law than appetite.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-scully/if-animals-are-just-commodities-then-we-are-just-consumers-with-no/)

[Matthew Scully](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-scully/)

[Explore all 54 Matthew Scully quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-scully/)

## More Animal quotes

> [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/)

[Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/)

> [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [Humans are animals too, but some do not like to work from expectations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/humans-are-animals-too-but-some-do-not-like-to-work-from-expectations/)

[Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/)

> [When grubbing for necessities man is still an animal. He becomes uniquely human when he reaches out for the superfluous and extravagant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/when-grubbing-for-necessities-man-is-still-an-animal-he-becomes/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [I'm 38 and I'm single, and I'm having my most intense and gratifying relationship with a dog. But we all learn about love in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/i-m-38-and-i-m-single-and-i-m-having-my-most-intense-and-gratifying/)

[Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/)

> [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/)

[Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/)

> [A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-horse-a-horse-my-kingdom-for-a-horse/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [“it is a federal system of sadistic torture, vivisection, and animal genocide, which has been carried on for decades under the fraudulent guise of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tobias/it-is-a-federal-system-of-sadistic-torture-vivisection-and-animal/)

[Michael Tobias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tobias/)

> [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/)

[Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/)

> [We must love animals in such a powerful way that we should reject to eat them!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/we-must-love-animals-in-such-a-powerful-way-that-we-should-reject-to/)

[Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [This brings me back to the image of Kafka standing before a fish in the Berlin aquarium, a fish on which his gaze fell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/this-brings-me-back-to-the-image-of-kafka-standing-before-a-fish-in/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [That dog, I say that dog is lower than a snake full of buckshot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foghorn-leghorn/that-dog-i-say-that-dog-is-lower-than-a-snake-full-of-buckshot/)

[Foghorn Leghorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foghorn-leghorn/)

> [I bet plants go like 'Weeeeeeeee!' whenever they're swallowed by a giraffe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-bet-plants-go-like-weeeeeeeee-whenever-they-re-swallowed-by-a/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Animal rights without veganism is like human rights with slavery. It makes no sense. None whatsoever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-francione/animal-rights-without-veganism-is-like-human-rights-with-slavery-it/)

[Gary L. Francione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-francione/)

[Browse all 13,456 Animal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“The elephants we have seen taunted and tormented and slaughtered by the likes of Safari Club do not have time to wait while the world's ethicists work out some centuries-long paradigm shift in moral thought.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Matthew Scully"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-scully/the-elephants-we-have-seen-taunted-and-tormented-and-slaughtered-by/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Animal"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-scully/the-elephants-we-have-seen-taunted-and-tormented-and-slaughtered-by/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aeb/matthew-scully-12509_animal_the-elephants-we-have-seen-taunted-and-t_2680930.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aeb/matthew-scully-12509_animal_the-elephants-we-have-seen-taunted-and-t_2680930.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aeb/matthew-scully-12509_animal_the-elephants-we-have-seen-taunted-and-t_2680930.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The elephants we have seen taunted and tormented and slaughtered by the likes of Safari Club do not have…” — Matthew Scully",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Matthew Scully",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-scully/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“The elephants we have seen taunted...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-scully/the-elephants-we-have-seen-taunted-and-tormented-and-slaughtered-by/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-scully/the-elephants-we-have-seen-taunted-and-tormented-and-slaughtered-by/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
