Animal issues of life and death Flashcards
Arguments for using animals as a food source
-Humans have always eaten meat, why stop now?
-Animals are not sentient beings, unlike humans who are higher on the hierarchy of souls.
-Ethical meat-eating is possible e.g free range
-Essential for human survival (nutrients)
-Human anatomy shows that humans are designed/naturally selected to be able to eat meat.
Arguments against using animals as a food source
-Animals are sentient, intelligent creatures.
-Meat-eating is no longer sustainable (50 billion farm animals slaughtered for meat /year)
-Plants can provide us with essential nutrients
-51% greenhouse emissions come from animal agriculture.
-If it can be justified based on the fact it tastes good, then what is there to say about cannibalism?
What are the statistics concerning problems with intensive farming?
-51% greenhouse emissions from animal agriculture.
-Animals grow 3 times faster than normal.
-Around 50 billion farm animals bread and raised for consumption annually.
-2/3 animals raised for food are in factories.
-44 billion chickens killed for meat /year. 60% in factories live in crowded and filthy conditions, given drugs for abnormal growth, become so heavy their legs break, untreated body sores.
-Land damage, water pollution, energy usage, climate change.
How does intensive farming question human morality?
-Toleration for cruelty.
-Animal holocaust where billions of domesticated animals are factory farmed and transported to mass slaughterhouses every year
-Henry Spira believed factory farming accounts for 95 percent of all animal suffering.
What does Peter Singer believe about animal issues of life and death?
-Many animals display the qualities of personhood that humans believe gives life value.
-Being persons gives animals rights.
Define xenotransplantation.
The process of grafting or transplanting organs/tissues between members of different species.
What are arguments FOR xenotransplantation?
-Increases number of organ sources.
-The shortage of organs for transplantation accounts for around 20-25% of deaths of patients on the waiting list.
-Animals such as pigs have been domesticated by humans for so long that new infectious agents are less likely.
Arguments against xenotransplantation.
-Animals are sentient beings and cannot consent.
-High risk of transferring disease.
-No success to date.
-Cruel and diminishes quality of life for animals.
Arguments for use of animals in scientific research.
-Cloning advances the evolutionary cycle.
-Potential to create life-saving organs for humans.
-Scientific break-throughs.
-Enables humans to advance scientific knowledge to find better treatments.
Virtue ethics on use of animals as food
-Acceptable
-Animals exist for the sake of humans according to Aristotle’s hierarchy of souls.
-Aristotle does claim that virtues are directed towards persons.
-Intensive farming is itself unvirtuous due to mass suffering of animals.
-However its outcomes could be seen as virtuous as it provides affordable food for struggling families, preventing malnutrition.
Virtue ethics on using animals in scientific procedures such as cloning.
-Aristotle accepts BUT some virtue ethicists do not.
-Aristotle used animals for his own scientific procedures.
-Highest thing in us in reason and intellect. Using animals in science can develop our intelligence meaning it is virtuous.
-Benefits of scientific research includes ability to develop drugs and medicines to cure diseases such as HIV/AIDS, meaning it helps humans and is therefore virtuous.
BUT some virtue ethicists argue it is not compassionate at all due to a lack of regulation and an excess of suffering for the animals. They argue there is technology that is at least as effective as using animals e.g Rosalind Hursthouse.
Virtue ethics on using animals in transplants (xenotransplantation)
-Aristotle approves
-It shows compassion to humans whose lives are saved and using animals in science develops intellect.
Possibly disapprove:
-Callousness to animals by judging that their lives are expendable.
-Callousness shown towards those in society who are distressed at the prospect of using animals in this way.
Virtue ethics on using animals in blood sports
-Rosalind Hursthouse argues it shows the vice of ‘callousness’.
-Some argue it shows a lack of compassion and the violent behaviour could be repeated towards humans.
-Hunting animals in public may upset people.
-Insensitive to cultural differences and tradition e.g bullfighting.
Examples of blood sports
-Bullfighting
-Fox hunting
-Goose pulling
-Horse racing
-Entertainment e.g orcas in seaworld
What is PETA?
-Believe animals have rights to live their lives peacefully.
-Animal rights activist group
Who is Tom Regan (not named)?
-American philosopher who specialises in animal rights theory.
-Book ‘The Case for Animal Rights’ 1983
-Some non-human animals have moral rights because they are subjects-of-a-life and therefore possess inherent value and must be treated as ends-in-themselves, not a means to an end.
NML on use of animals for transplants (xenotransplantation)
-Approves
-Humans can use animals in any way they see fit.
-Safeguards on banning any attempt to modify the human anatomy/ God’s blueprint for humans at creation.
NML on use of animals in blood sports
-Aquinas approves
-Humans can use animals as they see fit
-The death of the animal is of legitimate use (human entertainment).
BUT the Catholic Church argues it is unfair and unkind to make animals suffer and die needlessly.
“It is contrary to human dignity to cause animals to suffer or die needlessly” - CCC
NML on use of animals in scientific procedures and cloning
-Aquinas approves of using animals in scientific procedures as they are below humans and it can benefit humans.
-Aquinas may have concerns about animal cloning if the experiments change the nature of the animal as it is God’s creation. However, he would accept genetic experimentation to increase milk yield, animal size, resistance to disease etc.
“Man’s dominion over inanimate and other living beings granted by the Creator… requires a religious respect for the integrity of creation” - CCC.
Situation ethics ideas on use of animals as food + intensive farming
-Depends on the situation
-Meat eating is not intrinsically wrong.
-Intensive farming gives lower income families access to nutritious foods.
-If meat is not produced it may result in many people dying of starvation.
-There are more ethical alternatives that may result in a more loving outcome.
-But these alternatives may not be accessible to all.
Situation ethics on use of animals in scientific procedures; cloning
-Fletcher himself involved in cloning research.
-Acceptable to use animals in scientific procedures as a pragmatic way of saving human lives.
Situation ethics on using animals in organ transplantation
-Most animals don’t qualify as persons.
-Individual agapeistic judgements need to be made.
-Human people are in need of organs, not animals.
-Some SEs argue animals qualify as persons and can’t consent to the use of their organs.
Situation ethics on using animals in blood sports
-Unacceptable
-The suffering and pain of animals should not be accepted purely because it brings humans pleasure.
-May damage human character
-Arguably nothing agapeic about blood sports
What is the argument against poor treatment of animals based on the need for humans to behave morally?
-Humans are aware of right/wrong.
-Humans accept that certain things are morally wrong.
-Causing pain is morally wrong whether it is an animal or not.
-Therefore humans shouldn’t be cruel to animals.
