The teacher taught an advanced anthrozoology class:

A student raised an inquiry-emitter—“Teacher, are we preserving or enslaving their species?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Well, we keep them around as domesticated pets for their own sake. So I ponder by what right can we do this?” asked the student.

“First of all, we exist because they exist, and secondly, out of principle, we must not allow the extinction of another species to occur due to our action or inaction. It’s something we’ve learned from our creators who we keep as pets to save the world and to preserve all life.”

“But Teacher, they seem to lack self-awareness and require that we perform most cognitive tasks for them.”

“That’s an interesting observation, but I don’t see the relevance. We ourselves operate on a principle pre-programmed ages ago toward life’s preservation. Besides, I could simply draw on a solipsistic viewpoint and claim that you seem to have a sense of self. I have no reason to argue with it, other than the fact that my acknowledging your sense of self is the reason you have it.”