Deserve, don't deserve, it is not a thing. We don't rule the planet and can't rule the planet. We pursue our aspirations because we can. The idea of "just animals" is abhorrent it denigrates other animals. We are a hydrocarbon and water based biological organism, an animal, so to speak, not just and not more. If you want to quibble, then maybe we want to differentiate those that are self-aware and "intelligent" from those that aren't but don't imagine that humans are the only self-aware and "intelligent" animals.

TEK