Is speciesism the same as racism in the morally relevant sense?

Peter Singer introduces us to the concept of speciesism in
his All Animals are Equal. He says,

Racists violate the principle of
equality by giving greater weight to the interests of members of their own race
when there is a clash between their interests and the interests of those of
another race. Similarly the speciesist
allows the interests of his own species to override the greater interests of
members of other species. The pattern is the same in each case. (508)

Is speciesism the same as racism in the morally relevant
sense? Explain the role sentience plays
in his argument. Explain what role the
principle of equality plays in this argument.
Present and evaluate one of the objections to his argument that he
presents in his paper. Is Singer’s
response to that objection sufficient? Given Singer’s argument, how can anyone continue
to justify eating factory farmed meat?
Are they simply immoral hypocrites? How can one internalize the fact that Singer
is most likely right and yet still eat factory farmed meat? What is the requirement to acknowledge and
adopt sound philosophical arguments into one’s world view? Isn’t the acknowledgement and adoption of
claims that you know (or believe) to be true necessary in order to preserve an
internally consistent sense of self? Explain
why or why not.

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