Just as there are fundamental principles underlying mathematics, I am convinced that a code of universal rights and values, most notably the right to life itself, exists independently of human ethics. The dilemma is where to find it. Who could establish it, if not humanity? Even if we accept that rights and values exist beyond the limits of our perception, we ourselves are limited to what we can perceive. It is as futile as asking a cat to decide whether the consumption of mice can be ethically justified.
