“When he was a little boy, my father had a dog – a German shepherd named Rex. He was very fond of the dog and would ride around the garden on its back. Around the same time, the Rowlands family also had a pig. History does not record the name of this pig, and perhaps it never had a name. But, nameless or not, my father was very fond of it and would ride around the garden on its back. Rex, by all accounts, lived a long and happy life. Things went a little differently for the pig. I relate this story not only because it provided my first brush with the idea of animal rights ('What happened to the pig, Dad?') but also because, if you look closely enough, you will find the basic moral case for animals encapsulated tightly within it. Ethics is many things, but it's hardly rocket science. In the end, most of it is pretty obvious. The moral case for animals … is about as obvious as this: the differential treatment of Rex and pig is a bit strange.”

— Mark Rowlands

Animal Rights: All That Matters https://books.google.it/books?id=6YA3R0J69E8C&pg=PT0 (Hachette UK, 2013), ch. 1.

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Mark Rowlands 5

British philosopher 1962

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Variant: I like pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.
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Circa hoc tempus Siwardus consul fortissimus Nordhymbre, pene gigas statura, manu uero et mente predura, misit filium suum in Scotiam conquirendam. Quem cum bello cesum patri renuntiassent, ait, "Recepitne uulnus letale in anteriori uel posteriori corporis parte?" Dixerunt nuntii, "In anteriori."
At ille, "Gaudeo plane, non enim alio me uel filium meum digner funere."
Book VI, §22, pp. 376-7.
Historia Anglorum (The History of the English People)

“I have a dog who looks a lot like a pig and I would look at him and think: “You know? I can not eat pig anymore.” And besides, is my dog really all that different from a pig on a factory farm? They both have their own lives and big personalities and most importantly the same capacity to feel pain. Once I made the connection, animal suffering became something I could not ignore. So if you have ever loved a cat or a dog, or even a human, I hope you will extend your compassion to include all animals. I am Mike White and I am a vegan.”

Mike White (filmmaker)

“ Mike White's 'Veggie Testimonial' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pF8PJJFgg4E”, ad for PETA (30 July 2009).

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Mark Rowlands 5

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