Whilst the sanctity and well-being of life has been held at the pinnacle of homocentric ethics and morals, the interests of non-humans have been neglected due to a common belief that the life of an animal is insignificant and therefore expendable. Humankind has assumed position at the top of a power based hierarchy that encompasses all life forms, thus giving affirmation to the concept that animals are inferior to humans and consequently justifying the exploitation and mistreatment of non-humans. By disregarding the ability for animals to perceive pain, suffering and pleasure, humankind have removed their rights as individual life forms and relegated them to an existence of slavery, torment and slaughter. The philosophy that embodies animal liberation, moves to re-establish the rights and inherent value of all living organisms in order to create an equality between all life forms, where no species has supremacy over another, and all animals have an intrinsic right to life. The basic principle of equality does not require equal or identical treatment; it requires equal consideration (Singer, 1991:2). Thus each individual must be perceived as a unique being with their own inherent value, and the reciprocal relationship that is demonstrated within human society can be extended to include non-humans, through an ethic of respect and concern for nature.
             It is the differences within human society and within nature that leads to cultural, spiritual and physical diversity, and consequently non-humans should not be compromised as individuals due to their physical and anatomical appearance. By negatively focusing on differences in intellect, moral capacity and physical appearance between humans and non-humans, a division of rights and respect has been drawn, whereby any animal regardless of their abilities or characteristics, is condemned to a totalitarian existence. The fundamental wrong that is inbuilt into human society, is the system that ...