Blog 12- The "Mixed Community"

In this chapter Midgley highlights the “The Mixed community”, or the relationships between animals and humans. She looks at the animals that have been domesticated and says that most of those are ones that are social. She especially points out the cat community, saying that cats were not originally tame animals. In fact, they were quite fierce. Over time however, they responded to the Egyptians and became reasonably docile.

An interesting point that Midgley makes in this chapter is that humans aren’t unaware of animal suffering. In fact, that is the root of how we choose to treat animals. If we know that something motivates them over something else, then that tactic is used in order to reach our own personal end. The exploitation of animals really does require sympathy and an ability of humans to be able to relate to them. In many ways, the way we treat animals is very similar to the ways we treat other humans. We discover what frightens or motivates them, and we figure out what it will take for the animals to respond. Also, we call dogs and horses, specifically, by name and expect them to understand what is said to them. We as humans need to figure out the feelings and workings of animals if they are to be exploited by us. Therefore, Midgley comes to the conclusion that treatment of domestic animals has never been impersonal, which is a statement I found to be interesting and true!

Lastly, I thought it was unique how she compared our treatment of animals to the treatment of slaves, in that if we work our animals or our slaves hard, it’s not because we don’t realize that they mind it or notice it, but that we are putting our interest first. In other words, we are using them as a means to our own end. Midgley also flips this idea on its head and says that humans don’t treat other humans that way. We wouldn’t eat or kill our grandma or brother just because they are annoying us. There is a deliberate interference of morality when dealing with other humans that isn’t fully present when dealing with animals.

Overall, I found this chapter of Midgley’s the easiest to comprehend and relate to.