...Responsibility to Animals Animals only exist through the eyes of the beholder. They are cute kitties, sweet puppies, and then we have animals like rats, chickens, cows, and pigs. Some animals we have emotional commitment with and those we do not. We are arguing for animals to have the rights as humans do. There are animals being used in labs, in poor conditions on farms for mast productions, and animals being mistreated. Should any animal have the right to life? Should they have the right to be pain free? Have right to food? Animals cannot not speak for themselves, so people are having to speak up for them. Animals do have rights that are the same as humans. Whether or not proving if animals should have the right could change how they are treated and the usage of animals. "What we conclude about animal rights will have consequences for the food we eat and the clothes we wear, and it will have direct bearing on the kinds of science we think morally justifiable"(Cohen, 1986). The argument here other than animal rights is that humans think they are in control of their own rights or wrong ideas as long as society or culture goes along with them. When asking the question, “what are our moral obligations to animals,” the argument is that we do not have any obligations toward animals, due to them being species, not taking part of political contract or of determining what right or wrong is. Humans have laws in place that we have created, therefore, non-humans are expose to the rules...
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...Imagine choosing between causing harm to a human being and an animal. In order to prevent the human from being wounded, you would have to cause a greater amount of pain in the animal. Most likely, you would choose to spare the human, thus injuring the animal. According to Peter Singer in his article “All Animals are Equal”, the welfare of animals must be considered equally with that of humans in part because of their ability to feel pain and joy as humans do (1972). His approach is utilitarian, as it judges actions based on the amount of suffering or joy brought about by an action. Therefore, in the aforementioned situation, one following Singer’s approach would choose to allow the human to be harmed because the total amount of suffering caused...
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...Animals used to have a life worth living, however it is not true anymore; under ill treatment and unjust views, animals are nothing more than tools for the benefit of our society. In this paper, I will analyze Regan’s work on ‘The Case for Animal Rights’ and focus on how it approaches the deontological view of Kant, duty. First, Tom Regan, Professor of philosophy at North Carolina State University believes there is flaw in our treatment of animals and that it “is wrong because we violate the rights of animals.” (Regan) Factory farming is an example of how animals are just mere existence of our resources. Regan’s goals on animals rights include banning the use of animal in science, factory farming, commercial and sport industry. Basically,...
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...Ethical Analysis of News Issue: Animal Rights Clearly define the ethical issue and provide a brief explanation as to why it is important. (4 marks) To many people, the concept of animal rights is absurd and long drawn. However, animal activism has increased in the recent past with formation of such organizations as PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) that seek to incorporate ethics when addressing issues related to animals (Joyce 2014, par. 1). Apparently, animal rights activists argue that animals too have rights as is with human beings. Their arguments are anchored in the premise that there should ethical rules that guide our treatment of animals. This implies that human beings have no permission to do some of the things on an animal notwithstanding the situation (Bekoff 2009, p. 14). In fact, the animal rights advocacy groups agitate for legislation of non-negotiable prohibition of animal mistreatment. However, there is a growing concern about the specific rights that animals given the fact that majority of definitions have not actually outlined the rights. The issue of animal rights is important especially in the wake of public policies that are informed by the arguments of animal ethics. Just recently, Australia and New Zealand had to cut their exports of animals to Pakistan given the brutality and cruelty that the animals suffered when being slaughtered (Joyce 2014, par. 6). For majority of the activists, animals have intrinsic value and should...
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...Animal rights is the idea that some, or all, non-human animals are entitled to the possession of their own lives and that their most basic interests—such as the need to avoid suffering—should be afforded the same consideration as similar interests of human beings.[2] Advocates oppose the assignment of moral value and fundamental protections on the basis of species membership alone—an idea known since 1970 as speciesism, when the term was coined by Richard D. Ryder—arguing that it is a prejudice as irrational as any other.[3] They maintain that animals should no longer be viewed as property or used as food, clothing, research subjects, entertainment, or beasts of burden.[4] Advocates approach the issue from a variety of perspectives. The abolitionist view is that animals have moral rights, which the pursuit of incremental reform may undermine by encouraging human beings to feel comfortable with using them. Gary Francione's abolitionist position promotes ethical veganism. He argues that animal rights groups that pursue welfare concerns, such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), risk making the public feel comfortable about its use of animals. He calls such groups "the new welfarists." PETA argues that Francione's criticism does little to help alleviate the suffering of individual animals and also trivializes the efforts of workers in the field who handle cruelty cases. It also creates divisiveness within the animal liberation movement instead of focusing on...
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...to identify the different arguments made in regards to the use of animals in behavioral and biomedical research and the benefits of facilitating classroom room discussions amongst psychology students concerning this controversial topic. 2. Introduction Herzog H.A, (1990) believed that since the publishing of Singer’s book, Animal Liberations, in 1975, public concern over the ethical treatment of animals has significantly risen (p. 90). According to Rollin (1981, as cited by Harold, 1990) experimental psychology was “the field most consistently guilty of mindless activities that results in great suffering.” This debate has caused psychology students to question the use of animals in behavioral research. According to this article there are three reasons why discussing animal rights is crucial to psychology students. First, students should be conscious of political and social concerns associated with psychology that could have an effect on their lives. Second, animal rights issues raise questions related to psychology such as, “can animals think?” or “What are the essential differences between humans and animals?” Third, the use of animals in laboratory courses has received lots of censure (p. 90). To facilitate students to think about these issues, the author has designed a classroom exercise that has students making decisions about whether or not a series of theoretical proposals, pertaining to animal research, should be carried out (p. 91). 3. Methodology Psychology...
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...from politics to human rights to animal rights. For this optional homework, I did a bit of research on the Animal Rights Movement. The Animal Rights Movement is a large social movement operating in Canada, as well as the United States. The Animal Rights movement advocates that animals should be afforded the same consideration as human beings. Animals should not be treated as property but rather as living beings. Advocates approach the issue from different philosophical positions, ranging from the protectionist side of the movement, presented by philosopher Peter Singer with a utilitarian focus on suffering and consequences, rather than on the concept of rights, to the abolitionist side, represented by law professor Gary Francione, who argues that animals need only one right, the right not to be property. A current dilemma that we see take place is the fight between companies and animal rights movement on if it is right for the companies to test their product on animals. For many companies, the ideology of Peter Singer is used. However for others, such as The Body Shop, products being tested on animals is forbidden, and is advertised on all their products. Animal Rights: The Abolitionists Approach is an organization that works within the animal rights movements. Their mission statement is to provide an approach to rights that: • promotes the abolition of animal exploitation and rejects the regulation of animal exploitation; • is based only on animal sentience and no other cognitive...
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...million animals are subjected to inhumane experiments in the name of scientific research (Linzey, 2013). Evidence to support the practise of vivisection is confronting and highly criticised. However, it is essential society apply careful consideration in regard to the positive ground-breaking outcomes of these experiments and the encouraging positive impacts they have on human life. Nonetheless, rationalization is warranted for inflicting unnecessary treatment to innocent animals who cannot represent themselves. Strong advocacy provided by animal protections and research scientist, both contribute valid arguments for and against the practise of vivisection. A central determinant to these claims is questioning morality, who...
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...Animal Equality: Effects of Giving Animals Rights PHI 103 Informal Logic June 2, 2014 Argument When it comes to animal equality it can be hard to imagine a dog, cat, or even a hamster of having equivalence. When I think of animals, I picture our pets, wild animals, and even those in which are consumed. The question of what is and what is not ethically appropriate in the treatment of animals has is debatable. Peter Singer’s provides a utilitarian arguments for why animals with a certain level of perceptive justify equal moral attention with humans. Introduction Singer calls for the establishment of a “liberation movement” comparable to those that remained emerging up throughout the dated in which he wrote his essay and attentive on such problems as gay, women’s and African-American rights. Noting how previously “legitimate” forms of judgment and prejudice, over time, correctly came to be observed as unfairly and immorally damaging towards definite classes of people, Singer argues that the time has come for a similar pledge to the rights of species that walk on four legs instead of two. The animal liberation movement, which was essentially begun by Singer’s book, Slate.com (2001) argues “It is ethically wrong to use animals in such a way that we cause them suffering, either by deprivation of essential components of a happy existence, or by causing them pain.” (Slate.com, 2001) The animal liberationists would like to disallow most medical experimentation using animal...
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...Utilitarian Approach to Non-Human Life Randi A. Teel PHI208 Ethic and Moral Reasoning Instructor Galen Johnson June 23, 2014 \ Animals: Deserving of Utilitarianism? 1 Utilitarianism is best defined as given a choice between two acts, the one that creates greater happiness for the greatest number of people should be chosen. This should be applied to non-human beings as well. Animals are essential in our everyday lives. They provide companionship, nourishment for our bodies and can provide amazement to our eyes when seen in their natural habitat. They are important in human life. They deserve respect. We as the superior being should make decisions for non-humans based on the utilitarianism approach creating greater happiness or good for the greater numbers. Our decisions based on this approach when making choices where non-humans are concerned will be a beneficial choice for both humans and animals. So what do humans and animals have in common? René Descartes, for instance, regarded animals as simply “physical bodies that lacked minds or souls; thus, animals were similar to organic machines.” (Mosser, 2013) This type of thought is also coincides with Western and Christian thinking. That is, all is ranked from highest to lowest. God and Angels are the highest...
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...Credibility and Validity of Sources: We learned that it is important to evaluate the credibility of the source and make a judgement on its relevance to our topic/argument. Credibility can be validated based off on the background of the author, impartiality, style and tone of article and currency. For instance for an argument on animal rights as described in…, the argument can be presented in different ways depending on the specialization of the author. A phychologist, philosopher or economist might present the argument in different style. Also, the author’s personal interest to the subject might affect the an author’s opinion or treatment to the subject. For instance, an author who is vegetarian is likely to argue against using animals for food and may present argument in a way that’s less than impartial. The publication Alongwith the author’s background, it is also important to validate the author’s personal interest associated to the subject ; We also learned that a special interest or preference might affect an author’s opinion or treatment to subject. In the simplest terms, a declared vegetarian is likely to argue against using animals for food and may present those arguments in a way that’s less than impartial. The writing style and tone is another way to form credibility and validity of sources of information. You should determine whether the tone is professional or not. If it is indeed professional and the tone is for the targeted audience then more than...
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...Ethical Treatment of Animals Duane Aponte SOC120: Introduction to Ethics & Social Responsibility (GSG1207J) Dr. James Prentice 03/19/12 Throughout my life I have always been an animal lover. My main concerns have questioned the behavior of humans towards animals and why researchers choose to experiment on many different animals. I am extremely disgusted by these experiments and for their explanation as for the purpose of scientific research. I understand the objective and what may be the greater good for such experiments. But I do not understand why so many experiments are needed with very little justifications. In my paper I will discuss why experiments should not be taken lightly and will try to draw a conclusion on how we can as a society limit such cruelty towards animals during these experiments. I will also use different ethical theories to explain my point of view. My theories will include an Ethical Moral approach, Utilitarianism point of view, and Deontology point of views. Introduction The use of animals in research and education has involved ethical concern for many years, most particularly in toxicology and bio-medical studies. More recently, ethical concerns have been raised over less disturbing studies such as animal behavior research (Mench, 2000). My concern is before conducting behavioral research, the researcher should first evaluate whether the purpose of the experiment justifies the use of animals. If the purpose is found to be justified...
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...Animal Rights Priscilla Peterman University of Phoenix Com/156 Instructor James Christianson This research paper is going to discuss a major concern with the issue of animal rights and how people view this critical issue. Animals deserve rights, and these rights should annihilate the many problems with animal abuse, abandonment, and animal experimentation. Animals deserve the same rights as humans. Animals, subsequently dating back to the days of Ancient Greece, have always held a place in the hearts of humans. And for so long as this animal human relation existed, so did the realism of taking care of the animals, whether it be in the form of love, care and equal rights. The idea that we are all born with essential rights, such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, is important to our society, mainly to the ideas stated in the United States Constitution. Though, humanities inconsiderately demean this principle by denying that animals share these rights. Animals are just as titled to the rights of living, avoiding pain, and pursuing happiness as humans are. Yet still we exploit and abuse them cruelly, most often without a second thought. The use of animals in biomedical research, segmentation, testing and education, deprives animals of their natural rights and is a great injustice. We must believe that this is completely intolerable, and we should find more humane as well as...
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...suffering in the World (Ethics Matter: A Conversation with Peter Singer, 2011). As Peter Singer stated himself “why I have focused on those issues, because I think, as a utilitarian philosopher rather than an expert in particular issues, I can make a contribution (Ethics Matter: A Conversation with Peter Singer, 2011). Peter Singer is known to be one of the most important supporters of Preference Utilitarianism, which in other words mean: “An action is right if it maximally furthers the interests of those affected by it” (Sloane, 1999, p. 53). Among his most controversial and best-known arguments are linked to the world poverty, animal rights, infanticide, abortion, and euthanasia. As a reason for becoming vegetarian and the notion of argument about animal rights was as Singer states an ordinary lunch with his friend who happened to be vegetarian and he presented to him the issue of factory farming ("Peter Singer '07: Animal Rights", 2011). His book Animal Liberation (1975) became extremely popular and his main argument that speciesism does not give humans the right to harm animals. Peter Singer states that “animal’s interest does not count or do not count very much” ("Peter Singer '07: Animal Rights", 2011). He used as comparison women rights and believes that by banning factory farming and experiments on animals we can lower...
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...Answer: | x | That if we say that it would be wrong to perform experiments on such humans but not on non-humans then we are showing bias based upon species alone | | | | That a good speciesist would not perform experiments on any being | | | | That we should test upon mentally disabled human infants because the results would be more reliable than tests on animals | | | | That anyone who would consider testing on a human infant is a monster | | Instructor Explanation: | The answer can be found on p. 6 of Peter Singer’s “All Animals are Equal.” | | | | Points Received: | 1 of 1 | | Comments: | | | | Question 2. | Question : | Peter Singer’s “basic principles of equality” applied to animals means: | | | Student Answer: | | Animals should be given all the same rights as human beings. | | | x | Animals are not entitled to not all the same rights but to an equal consideration of interests. | | | | Animals should not be given the same moral consideration because they are do not have the same power to reason as humans. | | | | Animals do not have rights unless they can demonstrate the same abilities as humans. | | Instructor Explanation: | The answer can...
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