Anthropocentrism Vs. Biocentrism

R1 - Your arguments assumes that plants need humans to survive which is false. Jonas Salk said: "If all the insects were to disappear from the earth, within 50 years all life on earth would end. If all human beings disappeared from the earth, within 50 years all forms of life would flourish." There's some truth to this of course I doubt the time frame given is correct though. Insects perform a vast number of important functions in our ecosystem. They aerate the soil, pollinate blossoms, and control insect and plant pests; they also decompose dead materials, thereby reintroducing nutrients into the soil. Burrowing bugs such as ants and beetles dig tunnels that provide channels for water, benefiting plants. Bees play a major role in pollinating fruit trees and flower blossoms. Gardeners love the big-eyed bug and praying mantis because they control the size of certain insect populations, such as aphids and caterpillars, which feed on new plant growth. Finally, all insects fertilize the soil with the nutrients from their droppings. If all insects were gone then many plants would stop reproducing because of no pollination. R2 - You don't actually prove that pollution has gone down with those links the first points out that while emissions have gone down it presents the problem of ozone. In fact "Europeï¿½ƒï¿½'ï¿½†'ï¿½ƒï¿½€šï¿½‚ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ƒï¿½'ï¿½‚ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ƒï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½€šï¿½ï¿½ï¿½…ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ƒï¿½€šï¿½‚ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ƒï¿½'ï¿½‚ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ƒï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½€šï¿½ï¿½ï¿½…ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ƒï¿½€šï¿½‚ï¿½ï¿½s urban population still live in cities where certain EU air quality limits (set for the protection of human health) are exceeded. A number of countries are also likely to miss one or more legally binding 2010 emission ceilings of four important air pollutants. The need to reduce exposure to air pollution remains an important issue." The second link points out a problem about asthma. The third link of my opponent is one of traveling I think and while Mexico is doing all it can to reduce pollution, pollution is still a major problem and has adverse affects on health of young people. Furthermore I find my opponents link questionable because those are things that Mexico is going to do and so hasn't done yet. http://eponline.com... The fourth link I don't believe I need to see it because of the plant spill going on right now and while clicking on the link their are more links....which is odd because there's nothing of substance. And the India article doesn't really have anything important. R3 - If we are anhropocentric by definition a view of the world that says everything else was made to serve humans ergo If I am a human everything was made to serve me ergo although there are other humans those humans were put on earth to serve me ergo I don't view them as humans but as tools ergo we only care about each other and not others. "And humans are the only ones that can understand that they are moral agents. No other species can. Thus I would say this is anthropocentrism," You should have explained. If humans understand that they are moral agents that doesn't make them into an ideology Sub B - Usually the pilot is responsible for an airplane, and responsibility =/= discovery Biocentrism I am simply saying that animals have an interest in not suffering I am not saying we shouldn't find cures for certain flesh eating bacteria because the bacteria doesn't have an interest I am not advocating to get rid of the food chain and not eat anything because have an interest as well with a more complex brain and more activity that means more interest however pain is universal every living being with interests can feel pain. Now we should still kill the cow because we still have to eat; however their comes a point when we're killing to many cows like when buffalo became sport and they went almost extinct. However now we are producing cows with the intent to kill them a lot like chickens we take a species of animals and breed them to simply end of killing them I think there is a problem we need to consider their interests as well that's all I'm arguing for. Thank you for the debate cordially, HPG