Choice

One particularly annoying justification for consuming, using, exploiting, and killing animals is that we humans have higher intellectual capabilities. We have established a hierarchy: humans at the top, animals at the bottom, and this apparently gives us the right to use and abuse those 'below' us.

Below is a quote I found that I think argues against this kind of reasoning:

“Unlike any other animal, you have a choice. You can choose to kill and destroy, or you can choose to save and create. I chose the latter.”
~Edward Sanchez

I think the fact that we have a choice is so important. We may have the facility for intellectual reasoning, but this should not be seen as a reason to justify our exploitation of animals.