Do you believe humans are more special than other living creatures?

yes, I believe in a hierarchy of intelligence,I don't think we should kill Intelligent animals like dolphins, whales, Apes, dogs or even pigs for food, (although I do eat pork products on rare occasions). but animals like chickens for example are fine by me to consumed as food, the more Intelligent the animal the more "special" it is to me I guess.

Well yes in the fact we are the only ones with language to justify our thoughts and instincts rational but we hold nothing special once pit unarmed against a more powerful creature, even with lots o muscle were just another tasty meal in the sprawling food chain

Not in the spiritual sense, no.

However, it's impossible to deny that we won the genetic lottery by developing such powerful brains. We're far more intelligent than any other creature. It will probably be our undoing in the end, but for now that still makes us top dog, so to speak.

We're still confined by nature, though. We've become good at bending nature to fit our needs and wants, but we will never break it. As much as we may be hurting the planet now, the planet will always exist. We will not.

From whose perspective?

From the perspective of humans -- sure.

I'm not sure that the wolves, caribou, elk, whales, tigers, polar bears etc. would agree.

But I'm a human, not a wolf, caribou, elk, whale, tiger or bear, and so I believe that evolution has hard-wired me to think that my own species is "more special."

I do hope that we learn to coexist on the same planet as the other species withougt exterminating them, however. First, such extermination would offend my human conscience. Secondly, we don't know enough about the complexities of the world ecosystem to manage the entire planet for our own benefit without taking other species into consideration.

When we recklessly or deliberately kill off other species, I think we deprive our own posterity of nature's richness & beauty. In addition, though, we may be killing ourselves without realizing it.

Absolutely, what other living creature is capable of killing themselves and others in such great numbers? How many animals have ever committed genocide? Dropped an A-Bomb?

The difference between secular and spiritual with respect to rights is that there are responsibilities, too.

Humans are much more special than any animal. God expects humans to take care of his creation. We are not to treat animals cruelly. We are to slaughter our meat animals as painlessly as possible. All life is precious, there is much responsibility for the care of animals.

Yes

I believe we are more US than any other living creatures. People are naturally social and gregarious. We have responsibilities to each other that we do not have to other species, because they are us. just as dogs treat other dogs differently than they treat other animals.

See it from other end of creatures eyes.

Only in their levels of intelligence and self awareness. And it is becoming increasingly clear that even in that, we're not that special. Certain animals such as ravens, dolphins and chimpanzees have displayed amazing intelligence and ability to solve problems.