I am guessing here what you don’t care about admitting to our animal nature is that if we identify ourselves with that nasty, horrid state of being an animal, then not only do we have to accept that we are not some kind of unique creature, but our clear kinship to animals will make it harder for us to dismiss the pain and abuse we humans heap upon them.
I certainly do not think it is counterproductive for non-human animals if we recognize our kinship with them. And as for the fear (and I think this is what you mean by counterproductive) that we will become just like those kinds of animals, we can’t, we are a different species of animal than dog, lions, or raccoons.
Research is showing that many aspects of humanity like morality, compassion, and intelligence are shared by many non-human animals.
The fact that we are animals hardly speaks against the human race. Rather, it speaks very highly of the animal kingdom. Animals can do mathematics, write poetry, fly to the moon and so on. Everything that we do, animals do. Therefore I’m just as proud to be an animal as I am to be a human.
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