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Comment by robbrown451 | Hacker News Reader

I would say that isn't the point. Bugs are perfectly fine to practice empathy with, as are dolls, stuffed animals, etc.

Recently my daughter befriended a tiny ant while at the blacktop at the local rec center. She was sort of taking a time out from interacting with her human friends for a bit.

Then one of her friends came over and squished the ant, thinking it was funny, saying "it's just an ant" when my daughter complained.

It really bothered me. Not the death of the ant, obviously. (so what, I step on them all the time)

I don't know if you have kids, but I think there was something a bit off about that girl and her choice to kill the ant. Maybe you would consider her "smart." I didn't.

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I do have kids.

I observe a correlation between overattachment to animals and lack of empathy toward other humans.

In other words, people with "fur babies" are far less likely to have well-formed consciences.

My observation is the opposite. Maybe someone should do a study. I've especially noticed that dog owners and dog lovers tend to be kind to people. I tend to agree with this quote:

“He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals.”

― Emmanuel Kant

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/13607-he-who-is-cruel-to-an...

On the contrary, the link between animal torture and psychopathy appears to be pretty well-established

"Fur baby" overattachment is a very different thing from manifesting the appropriate amount of kindness and care for a being that can experience suffering.

You're the one who brought up "fur baby attachment." I'm not entirely sure what it is, given that this discussion is simply about kids being kind to non-domesticated animals.

I'm sure there are people with unhealthy attachments to animals, and who knows the extent of their issues and how they manifest. But a child who rejects a hobby that, at its core, is the deliberate killing of animals that they find beautiful, isn't that. As a parent, I say it is exactly how a child should be at that age.

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