I don't care whether animals are capable of thinking; all I care about is that they are capable of suffering!
Unkind language is sure to produce the fruits of unkindness--that is, suffering in the bosom of others.
A civilized society must count animals as worthy of moral consideration and ethical treatment. The question is not, Can they reason? nor Can they talk? but, Can they suffer?
The question is not can animals speak but can they suffer.
