Which statement is an example of a debater using an opponent’s ideas in his or her own argument? Animals deserve moral and legal rights because animals support and comfort humans in times of need. Animals do not deserve moral and legal rights because they are incapable of rational thought and because they act on instinct, which makes them dangerous. While ancient philosophers claimed that animals are not capable of judgment, more recent work from primatologists at Emory University has revealed that chimpanzees show physiological and mental capacities. Philosophers have built the foundation of modern-day thought on the subject of animals and their lack of any sense of morality. Since animals are unable to behave morally, they do not deserve moral or legal rights.