Able Quote by Thomas Huxley
“I have never been able to understand why pigeon-shooting at Hurlingham should be refined and polite, while a rat-killing match in Whitechapel is low.”
About This Quote
Societal attitudes deem pigeon shooting polite but rat killing vulgar, highlighting inconsistent moral standards toward animals.
In simple terms: Animal treatment standards are inconsistent.
Key Takeaway
Question societal animal ethics.
Themes
ethics
animal rights
social norms
Mood
critical
thought‑provoking
Type
philosophical
analytical
When to use this quote
- animal welfare advocacy
- policy debate
- educational campaigns
Key Concepts
morality
cultural bias
Questions to Reflect On
- Why are some animal killings accepted?
- How can we create consistent ethics?
A Different Perspective
Cultural habits are hard to change.
![“That's where I got the idea to paint the walls of the gallery with varied colours [at the Whitechapel show]. I tried to figure out how all these Renaissance paintings manage to work together.” quote by Nan Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/3e5/nan-goldin-6289_colour_that-s-where-i-got-the-idea-to-paint-the_1646159.jpg)
![“Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this [step by step, from humans to apes to monkeys to lemurs] - leading us insensibly from the crown and summit of the animal creation down to creatures, from which there is but a step, as it seems, to the…” quote by Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f0b/thomas-huxley-1183_animal_perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us_3051.jpg)
