Unit 4  When we abuse animals, we debase ourselves
人类虐待动物就是在贬损自己
Moving a cow by chaining it to a tractor and dragging it by its leg says a lot about how we perceive and value animals. When the Humane Society video that showed this and other brutal slaughterhouse treatment made the rounds on the Internet a few weeks ago, it caused public shock and led to a federal investigation. But there's a deeper lesson that all of us – whether or not we eat meat – need to take to heart: we degrade ourselves when we degrade animals.
  将一头牛锁在一辆拖拉机上然后拖动很好地表明了我们对动物的看法和感受。当人道协会的这个展现了这样场面等其它屠宰场里残忍对待的录像片在数周前网上散布后它引起了公众的震惊，导致联邦政府开展调查。但是对我们所有人来说这还是一个更为深刻的教训--不论我们是否吃肉--应该铭刻在心中：在贬低动物的同时我们在贬低自己。
Much as bullies demoralize themselves when they dominate or ride roughshod over those
who are meek, vulnerable, or defenseless, it should be obvious that human beings are the ones demoralized by the commission of inhumane acts.
  正如那些欺负者们当控制那些温顺、脆弱或没有抵抗力的人们或骑在他们头上是在将自己的道德败坏一样去进行那些残忍的虐待动物的活动中人类的道德也被这种非人道的行为所败坏。
Over the years, many have been caught up in the debate over what is, or is not, man's obligation to animals. But the debate is transcended by the growing realization that neither our civilization nor our planet will survive unless human beings grow richer in moral qualities like mercy, kindness, compassion, and temperance.
  长期以来让许多人纠缠不清的是到底哪些是哪些不是人类对动物的义务。不过人们越来越认识到除非人类在怜悯、善良、同情和节制上提高否则我们的文明或地球都将不复存在。这个观点已经超略了前面的争论。
Yet in order to establish a platform for speaking out against cruel and painful laboratory ex
periments and slaughtering techniques, animal rights advocates are often asked to prove that animals have a moral sense and can feel physical and emotional pain.
  然而为了建立一个疾呼反对残忍和痛苦的试验及屠宰方式的平台，动物权利提倡者往往被要求证明动物有道德感；能感到身体或感情的痛苦。
But even if animals could be proved amoral and immune to pain, human beings would have no basis for even careless treatment of them. Most of us were taught as children to take good care of inanimate objects, even though they feel no pain and have no moral sense. We are taught to treat fine books with virtual reverence. We are taught that it is actually a crime to vandalize buildings, cars, and other inanimate objects.
  可是即便证明了动物属于超道德范畴且它们不会感到痛苦人类也提不出对动物漠不关心对待动物的根据。多数人在小时候就被教导要照顾好无生命的物体--即便它们感受不到痛苦、没有道德感。 我们被教导用崇敬态度对待好书；我们被教导破坏建筑、汽车等其它没有生命的物体是犯罪。
But even setting aside the degradation brought upon the humans who commit acts of cruelty, research has consistently revealed evidence of the morality and sentience of the nonhuman world. By now documentaries abound in which we can see earth's creatures disciplining members of their own species for "crimes" within their communities. Conversely we've also seen them care for each other, as well as for members of other species, in the most intelligent, unselfish, courageous, and tender ways.
  但是即便将残忍行会给人们带来的贬低抛在一边不谈，过去的研究一致显示在非人类世界存在有道德及感觉性的证据。到目前为止大量纪录片中我们能看到地球的生物在自己种族内部会对“犯下罪行”的成员进行管制。相反我们也看到它们会彼此照顾对方、照顾别的种族成员。所采取的方式是最智慧、无私、有勇气和体贴地。
This evidence of morality in nonhumans tells us that mankind and "creature-kind" are inextricably woven together, not separate "worlds" attempting coexistence.
We may not be linked by trunks and tusks, wings and beaks, but I have yet to think of a single quality associated with the best in mankind that is not expressed by animals and of
ten – as with loyalty, sincerity, wisdom, and forgiveness – more perfectly.
  非人类中存在着道德的证据告诉我们人类和“生物-类”是彼此密切相连而不是努力要共存的一个个独立“世界”
  将大家联系在一起的也许不是牙齿、翅膀和喙。可是至今我还想不到有哪个单一和人类相关的特质在动物身上没有出现(例如：忠诚、诚恳、智慧和宽恕)--而且往往动物是做地更好。
Our differences appear to lie more in the complexity with which we express our commonly held qualities. In fact, the caring, thoughtful observation of animals has taught, and can continue to teach, vital lessons about what we ourselves are and what we can accomplish.
degrade
  大家的不同之处似乎更多地在于表达共同具有特质的复杂性上面。事实上，对动物深入、关爱地观察已经告诉并一直继续告诉人类自身以及我们能做到哪些
We learn from an elephant, for example, that power and gentleness are not incompatible.
We learn from any gazelle the naturalness of grace. Our dear canine or feline friends teach us that happiness doesn't come from outside ourselves – from the act of acquisition – but is something we bring to the simplest object or experience. From birds, we've learned the concept of flight. And from any animal we can learn that we don't outgrow childlikeness when we enter maturity, because childlikeness is a quality of thought, not a condition of age.
  例如：我们从一头大象身上学到了力量和温和并非是互斥的；从任何一只瞪羚身上人类学到了优雅的自然性；从亲爱的猫类、狗类朋友们教导人类快乐并非来自自己之外--来自获得--而是我们对最简单体验或事物赋予的东西； 从鸟类身人类学会了飞行的概念。 从任何动物身上我们都能学到在步入成熟后依然无法摆脱童心--因为它是一种思想上的特点而与年龄大小无关。
In fact, when we abuse childlike qualities in animals – when we take advantage of trust, sweetness, simplicity, or innocence, for example – we are well on our way to the abuse of children. For decades researchers, child and animal protection professionals, and educat
ors have been pointing to the correlation between the treatment of animals and the treatment of children.

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