--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What could be the basis of our having…" description: "\"What could be the basis of our having more inherent value than animals? Their lack of reason, or autonomy, or intellect? Only if we are willing to make..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed4/tom-regan-25402_animal_what-could-be-the-basis-of-our-having-mo_2949075.png" --- # What could be the basis of our having more inherent value… ![“What could be the basis of our having more inherent value than animals? Their lack of reason, or autonomy, or intellect? Only if we are willing to make the same judgment in the case of humans who are similarly deficient.” quote by Tom Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed4/tom-regan-25402_animal_what-could-be-the-basis-of-our-having-mo_2949075.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed4/tom-regan-25402_animal_what-could-be-the-basis-of-our-having-mo_2949075.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed4/tom-regan-25402_animal_what-could-be-the-basis-of-our-having-mo_2949075.png) > “What could be the basis of our having more inherent value than animals? Their lack of reason, or autonomy, or intellect? Only if we are willing to make the same judgment in the case of humans who are similarly deficient.” [Tom Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-regan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Moral worth depends on capacities like reason, autonomy, and intellect; we must apply consistent standards across species. **In simple terms:** Moral value ties to capacities. Key Takeaway Apply equal moral standards. Themes ethics animal rights philosophy Mood thoughtful serious Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - animal welfare policy - bioethics debates - educational curricula Key Concepts moral agency speciesism Questions to Reflect On - Should humans be judged by the same criteria as animals? - What capacities define moral worth? A Different Perspective Human exceptionalism challenges consistency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Animal - rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal-rights/) [Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals/) [Animals Lack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals-lack-1780991/) [Autonomy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autonomy/) [Autonomy Intellect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/autonomy-intellect-4436297/) [Bases](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bases/) [Cases](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cases/) [Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/freedom/) [Having Inherent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/having-inherent-4436296/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Inherent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inherent/) [Inherent Value](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inherent-value-1635816/) [Intellect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellect/) [Judgment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judgment/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Value Animals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/value-animals-4436295/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) [Willing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/willing/) ## Related quotes > [“With the man/animal boundary so deep a part of the Western psyche, it is little wonder that many resist its dismantling on both a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-savage-rumbaugh/with-the-man-animal-boundary-so-deep-a-part-of-the-western-psyche-it/) [Sue Savage-Rumbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-savage-rumbaugh/) > [“To be sure, there are human abilities that other animals lack, but the more we learn about animals, the more abilities we discover that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-bender/to-be-sure-there-are-human-abilities-that-other-animals-lack-but-the/) [Linda Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-bender/) > [Every sentient being values her/his life even if no one else does. 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The street-car is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-stuart-phelps-ward/it-is-not-in-our-drawing-rooms-that-we-should-look-to-judge-of-the/) [Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-stuart-phelps-ward/) > [You have to believe that there is some inherent value in yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-g/you-have-to-believe-that-there-is-some-inherent-value-in-yourself/) [Alex G](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-g/) > [There is inherent value in sharing a billion people are doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clara-shih/there-is-inherent-value-in-sharing-a-billion-people-are-doing-it/) [Clara Shih](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clara-shih/) > [“What Greenspan was saying, in other words, was that there was absolutely nothing wrong with bidding up to $100 million in share value some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-taibbi/what-greenspan-was-saying-in-other-words-was-that-there-was/) [Matt Taibbi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-taibbi/) > [Each being is sacred -- meaning that each has inherent value that cannot be ranked in a hierarchy or compared to the value of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/starhawk/each-being-is-sacred-meaning-that-each-has-inherent-value-that-cannot/) [Starhawk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/starhawk/) > [And as ensemblists start being asked to do more things that require an insane skill set, that inherent value will, I hope, be held…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikka-graff-lanzarone/and-as-ensemblists-start-being-asked-to-do-more-things-that-require/) [Nikka Graff Lanzarone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikka-graff-lanzarone/) > [“It seems like the value you attribute to something, more than its inherent value, influences your expectations, and your expectations, to a great extent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-o-connor/it-seems-like-the-value-you-attribute-to-something-more-than-its/) [Richard O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-o-connor/) > [Apology may be scorned, but it retains its inherent value.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kador/apology-may-be-scorned-but-it-retains-its-inherent-value/) [John Kador](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kador/) > [The first step toward maintaining autonomy in any programmed environment is to be aware that there's programming going on. It's as simple as understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/the-first-step-toward-maintaining-autonomy-in-any-programmed/) [Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/) > [It’s hard to feel attracted to someone who has abandoned her sense of autonomy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/it-s-hard-to-feel-attracted-to-someone-who-has-abandoned-her-sense-of/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [“The idea of autonomy denies that we are born into a world that existed prior to us. It posits an essential aloneness; an autonomous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-b-crawford/the-idea-of-autonomy-denies-that-we-are-born-into-a-world-that/) [Matthew B. Crawford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-b-crawford/) > [I don't want to be famous famous. I'm happy on the second tier, where I have autonomy on a professional level but I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-reece/i-don-t-want-to-be-famous-famous-i-m-happy-on-the-second-tier-where-i/) [Gabrielle Reece](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-reece/) ## More by Tom Regan > [The world is not going to change overnight, nor in my lifetime, nor in my grandchildren's lifetime. But it will change, if we change,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-regan/the-world-is-not-going-to-change-overnight-nor-in-my-lifetime-nor-in/) [Tom Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-regan/) > [I would encourage them never to forget that they were not always vegans. The self-righteousness of the recently converted hurts, it does not help,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-regan/i-would-encourage-them-never-to-forget-that-they-were-not-always/) [Tom Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-regan/) > [“Because we have viewed other animals through the myopic lens of our self-importance, we have misperceived who and what they are. Because we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-regan/because-we-have-viewed-other-animals-through-the-myopic-lens-of-our/) [Tom Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-regan/) > [Veganism affirms what is best for us, what is best for the animals, and what is best for the environment. Everywhere you look, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-regan/veganism-affirms-what-is-best-for-us-what-is-best-for-the-animals-and/) [Tom Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-regan/) > [It is not an act of kindness to treat animals respectfully. It is an act of justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-regan/it-is-not-an-act-of-kindness-to-treat-animals-respectfully-it-is-an/) [Tom Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-regan/) > [Being kind to animals is not enough. Avoiding cruelty is not enough. Housing animals in more comfortable, larger cages is not enough. Whether we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-regan/being-kind-to-animals-is-not-enough-avoiding-cruelty-is-not-enough/) [Tom Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-regan/) > [Live your life in ways that do not support wars, whosoever are the victims.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-regan/live-your-life-in-ways-that-do-not-support-wars-whosoever-are-the/) [Tom Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-regan/) > [If it were a retarded baby and a bright dog, I'd save the dog.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-regan/if-it-were-a-retarded-baby-and-a-bright-dog-i-d-save-the-dog/) [Tom Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-regan/) > [In a perfect world, we would not keep animals for our benefit, including pets,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-regan/in-a-perfect-world-we-would-not-keep-animals-for-our-benefit/) [Tom Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-regan/) > [If abandoning animal research means that there are some things we cannot learn, then so be it ... We have no basic right ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-regan/if-abandoning-animal-research-means-that-there-are-some-things-we/) [Tom Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-regan/) > [Never give other people another reason to ignore other animals. That's what we do when we come across as being so much better than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-regan/never-give-other-people-another-reason-to-ignore-other-animals-that-s/) [Tom Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-regan/) > [Once you become a vegan, the food of the world opens up to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-regan/once-you-become-a-vegan-the-food-of-the-world-opens-up-to-you/) [Tom Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-regan/) > [The culture isn't set up to embrace what we think and feel. Any doubt about that, just watch the ads on TV. They tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-regan/the-culture-isn-t-set-up-to-embrace-what-we-think-and-feel-any-doubt/) [Tom Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-regan/) > [The other animals humans eat, use in science, hunt, trap, and exploit in a variety of ways, have a life of their own that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-regan/the-other-animals-humans-eat-use-in-science-hunt-trap-and-exploit-in/) [Tom Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-regan/) > [It is not larger, cleaner cages that justice demands...but empty cages; not traditional animal agriculture but a complete end to all commerce in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-regan/it-is-not-larger-cleaner-cages-that-justice-demands-but-empty-cages/) [Tom Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-regan/) [Explore all 23 Tom Regan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-regan/) ## More Animal quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. 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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? 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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": "What could be the basis of our having more inherent value than animals? Their lack of reason, or autonomy, or intellect? 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