Lecture 7: Animal Liberation

Transcription

1 Lecture 7: Animal Liberation Two arguments against speciesism Animal liberation and utilitarianism Animal liberation vs. biocentrism Are animal rights inviolable? Animal liberation and biodiversity conservation

2 Topics Two arguments against speciesism Animal liberation and utilitarianism Animal liberation vs. biocentrism Are animal rights inviolable? Animal liberation and biodiversity conservation

3 What do we owe to animals? Lori Gruen, The Moral Status of Animals

4 Animal Liberation Humans are members of the species Homo sapiens. But...species membership is a morally irrelevant characteristic, a bit of luck that is no more morally interesting than being born male or female, Malaysian or French If there is something morally special about humans, it s because we have some special psychological capacity that gives us moral status. So what is it?

5 Animal Liberation Animal liberationists think there is no special characteristic that gives moral status to all and only humans Speciesism is as groundless as racism: belief in the inherent moral superiority of one species over another.

6 Two Problems for Most of the psychological abilities that once seemed to make us special are also shared by animals...developing family ties, solving social problems, expressing emotions, starting wars, having sex for pleasure, using language, or thinking abstractly... Speciesism

7 Two Problems for Even if there were some ability, X, that only humans have, not all humans will be equal with respect to X Does that mean we can do whatever we like with humans who don t have X? Speciesism

8 Are humans special? Kant s view was that human beings are morally superior to animals because of their heightened capacity for self-awareness and reflection However, these can t be grounds for disregarding the interests of nonhumans: after all, not all humans are equal in these features either.

9 Topics Two arguments against speciesism Animal liberation and utilitarianism Animal liberation vs. biocentrism Are animal rights inviolable? Animal liberation and biodiversity conservation

10 Are humans special? One of the major figures in this tradition is Peter Singer For Singer, we have direct moral obligations to all sentient creatures, and only sentient creatures Utility principle: since happiness is the only good, and pain the only bad, we should minimize unnecessary suffering wherever it occurs.

11 Are humans special? Utilitarianism does not impose any absolute moral restrictions on what we can do with animals. It just holds that, if we are to cause suffering to an animal, we have to justify it in terms of the net benefit to others.

12 Are humans special? Another viewpoint, the animal rights tradition, tends to be more absolutist. This holds that it is inherently morally wrong to hurt or kill sentient creatures.

13 Topics Two arguments against speciesism Animal liberation and utilitarianism Animal liberation vs. biocentrism Are animal rights inviolable? Animal liberation and biodiversity conservation

14 Animal liberation vs. biocentrism According to biocentrism, we have moral obligations to all living things - a point that Singer denies. Unless a creature is capable of pleasure or pain, it has no interests to speak of. To say a creature has interests means it can be benefit, or be harmed, by our actions.

15 Sentience and Interests Consider the difference between a deer, on the one hand, and...

16 Sentience and Interests Consider the difference between a deer, on the one hand, and... a rock

17 Sentience and Interests Consider the difference between a deer, on the one hand, and... a rock a bacterium

18 Sentience and Interests Consider the difference between a deer, on the one hand, and... a rock a bacterium a tree

19 Sentience and Interests Consider the difference between a deer, on the one hand, and... a rock a bacterium a tree a stream

20 Animal liberation vs. biocentrism Kicking a stone, cutting down a tree, or polluting a stream, may be harmful to other people or animals, but it s not harmful to the rock, tree, or stream The same would go for people in permanent vegetative states

21 Sliding scale of moral responsibilities Mammals and birds Insects and crustaceans?? Bacteria and viruses

22 Sliding scale of moral responsibilities Mammals and birds Insects and crustaceans?? Bacteria and viruses

23 Sliding scale of moral responsibilities Mammals and birds Insects and crustaceans?? Bacteria and viruses

24 Sliding scale of moral responsibilities Mammals and birds Insects and crustaceans?? Bacteria and viruses

25 Topics Two arguments against speciesism Animal liberation and utilitarianism Animal liberation vs. biocentrism Are animal rights inviolable? Animal liberation and biodiversity conservation

26 Equal treatment? Saying that humans and animals deserve equal consideration doesn t mean treating their lives as having equal worth Animal rights are not inviolable

27 Equal treatment? In the lifeboat example, we should usually save the person over the dog: the human will typically suffer more friends and family will suffer more greater loss of potential happiness

28 Topics Two arguments against speciesism Animal liberation and utilitarianism Animal liberation vs. biocentrism Are animal rights inviolable? Animal liberation and biodiversity conservation

29 Animal liberation and biodiversity conservation Animal Liberation: Hunting is (usually) wrong because it (usually) causes suffering Biodiversity Conservation: Hunting is (usually) OK if it is consistent with the preservation of the species Advocates for hunting bans Advocates for selective culling

30 Animal liberation and biodiversity conservation Animal Liberation: Factory farming and animal experimentation are wrong Biodiversity Conservation: No particular stance is implied by biodiversity conservation

31 Animal liberation and biodiversity conservation Animal Liberation: Keeping animals captive for entertainment, or even breeding programs, is typically wrong Biodiversity Conservation: Animals should be kept captive for the purpose of breeding programs when necessary for preservation of species

32 Animal liberation and endangered species From the point of view of suffering, it s just as wrong to harpoon an endangered blue whale as any other species of whale. Being endangered doesn t, in and of itself, make a creature more valuable

33 Animal liberation and endangered species The only reason to give special protection to endangered creatures is because of the benefits that the species may have to humans and other animals

34 Considerations AL seems to forbid hunting, while biodiversity conservation would often encourage it. AL does not provide an adequate explanation for why it s particularly wrong to allow a species to become extinct, particularly if the species does not benefit other creatures.