Equality, Sameness, and Rights

My intuition is that the right to live is one and the same for all individuals, whatever the species, but the vital interests of our nearest nevertheless have priority. The rules that operate when interests conflict include two important factors: vitalness and nearness. The greater vital interest has priority over the less vital, and the nearer has priority over the more remote—in space, time, culture, and species. Nearness derives its priority from our special responsibilities, obligations, and insights as human beings among human beings.