What does it mean to be humane?

Abstract

JAVMA, Vol 240, No. 5, March 1, 2012 C and misunderstanding often occur when two people attempt to communicate using different languages. More commonly, confusion arises when two people attempt to communicate using the same language but attach different meanings to the same terms. A good example is the term humane, particularly as it relates to whether the care we provide as veterinarians is humane. The term humane encompasses the best qualities of humankind, including kindness, tenderness, empathy, and compassion. Although all of these behaviors exist to some extent in various animals, animals cannot act in a humane fashion (that is, animal behavior is not judged as humane or inhumane), whereas humans can act in a humane fashion toward other humans and animals. Behavior that is inhumane is lacking in compassion for the suffering of humans and animals; synonyms of inhumanity include unkindness and cruelty. Thus, a veterinarian or animal owner who deliberately chooses to disregard available means to reduce injury or illness in an animal under his or her care could be thought of as inhumane or, in some circumstances, cruel. The definition of cruelty encompasses actions that are inhumane and without pity. The definition of pity encompasses having compassion for the suffering, distress, or troubles of another. Whether an act is cruel depends not only on the act itself, but also on the intent of the act. In my opinion, cruelty involves acts and motivations limited to people. The term welfare signifies a state of being or doing well. The concept of animal welfare has traditionally been founded on the premise that humans have an obligation to act humanely toward animals. In my experience, animal welfare problems are more likely to encompass acts of omission rather than commission (ie, deliberate acts of cruelty). The term compassion is derived from Latin and literally means to suffer with. Thus, compassion encompasses feelings, but more is involved with compassion than simply emotions. According to several modern English dictionaries, two complementary human qualities must be combined to be compassionate. First, we must have empathetic awareness of the suffering, distress, or troubles of another living being. Second, we must have an empathetic desire to help correct the problem. Empathy is the projection of our own thoughts and feelings onto the thoughts and feelings of What does it mean to be humane?