Applied Dilemmas Flashcards
What are the important questions to ask on the topic of animal welfare?
Do we have obligations to other animals?
Do non-human animals have moral status?
What is Speciesism and who is one of the main boys who coined this idea?
Singer
Speciesists allow the interests of own species to go before that of another species
We are largely Speciesist
When do we use animals as means and how are these examples of Speciesism
- Eat and wear them
- Experiment on them
- Pet them
- Use them in sport and entertainment
We are sacrificing the important interests of animals for our own trivial interests
What is the Kantian approach to animal welfare?
One must be rational, autonomous, self-directing agent (critical self awareness and ability to manipulate complex concepts)
Objection: Can get moral patients not just moral agents (eg disabled)
Some animals have these capabilities
What formula should be used in deciding if animals have moral status?
To have moral status you need X,Y,Z
Non-human animals are/aren’t X,Y,Z
Therefore, Non-human animals do/don’t have moral status
What is the ‘Argument from marginal cases’?
Denote beings who would normally have full rationale and autonomy and are therefore still treated with same moral status
What is the Moral Agency Approach to animals and that
One must be capable of function in a moral community, which means having rights and responsibilities
Objection: AMC again
What is a Utilitarian approach to Animal welfare?
Can they suffer?
Need capacity for welfare and suffering
Singer believes all animals are equal and is closelt linked to the Equality Principle
What is the discussion regarding the Equality principle?
- Not a claim about factual equality of humans but how humans ought to be treated –> if all different then why equal? –> Only alter treatment with reagrds to relevant differences, otherwise should be treated equally (eg A&E)
- Whether a difference between individuals justifies a diffrernce in treatment depends upon the kind of treatment in question, A difference that justifies a difference in treatment need not justify another
(Rachels, ‘created from animals’, p178)
What Animal welfare & Animal rights respectively?
Focus on the elimination of unnecessary suffering, and humane treatment instead
Movement to protect animals from being property/means of humans, part of the moral community
Give examples of philosophers who believe animals shouldn’t have rights
Cohen - Categorically wrong, rights are human and because they are capable of excercising it
Fox - Spread so thin its become over used and used incorrectly –> defeated by AMC
Speciesism: Cohen being member of kind of animal that can do that (kinsmen argument) Fox agrees (gives preferential treatment to own species)
Is Speciesism plausible? If its ok then surely racism and sexism are too
Give examples of philosophers who believe animals should have rights
Regan - Treatment based on inherent value, anything living has IV makes anything eligible for treatment
Singer - All animals are equal
What are action affecting principles?
An act is very wrong if and only if it harms someone
An act harms someone if and only if they are worse off than they would have otherwise been
What is Parfit’s claims regarding SPC and DPC?
Same people choice: Affects what happens to people, not who exists
Different people choice: Affects who exists
Moral theories - Designed for same people choices
- do not work in DPC
- DPC are much more common then we think
What is an example of Parfit’s for regarding future people
Summer or Winter child
Winter child will has serious ailments (aren’t life destroying though)
Intuition is that not avoiding the ailment is bad but alternative outcome doesn’t exists and so cant theoretically object to it
Objection: But that person is wronged though cos of the bad attitude
links in with ‘wronged without worse off’ response
