man is meat

. . . continuous with the animals, undeserved of special epithets (rational, intelligent, . . . ), undeserved of special treatment ("inalienable" rights, divine blessings, liberties . . . ). There is no "sanctity of life": the life of man is no more sacred than that of toads, ants, chicken pox, or the AIDs virus. This is the starting point for understanding society, human behavior, human cruelty. From this realization, placing man in his rightful place within nature, we can begin to construct a society, we can begin to defend a way of coordinating our behavior. But he who builds his society upon superstition (whether it take the form of divine commandment, natural rights, or the sanctity of life) builds his house upon a foundation of sand: ineluctably, it will sink within the bog of lies so carelessly marshalled in its defense: liberty will become control; (divine) benevolence will show its stripe as cruelty; life will become death ~ and is this not what we observe?