&gt; Our burden now is to move away from exploitative behaviors, whether of animals or other humans, as much as possible, to progress morally as a species.<p>Whose morality? Why is contemporary Western-elite morality the correct morality? How can we evaluate different moral systems? What is our reference? What does progress mean?<p>I deny that moral feelings about animal exploitation have anything whatsoever to do with moral progress or any kind of objective moral superiority. It&#x27;s simply 21st century Western-elite social norms that many would like to impose on the population at large. Since I like meat and do not feel the slightest moral feeling about eating it, I will do whatever I can to prevent that imposition.<p>&gt;  To feel guilt, an animal would have to have a moral capacity.<p>Morality is just herd instinct in the individual. Ergo, any social animal has moral capacity, though of course they probably can&#x27;t reason about it in an abstract way. Humans have no special responsibility above other animals.