Intro to Animal Welfare Flashcards
what is ethics
what is good or bad, right or wrong
ethical theory is a branch of moral philosophy
what are the branches of ethics
- personal
- society
- professional
do animals have moral standing –> position 1 = no
morals only apply to humans
morality inlcudes only those who are rational, stand to gain by acting morally, can agree to act in way which benefit society
animals don’t create moral duties since they are not rational and cannot act morally
do animals have moral standing –> position 2 animals have instrumental value
animals have instrumental value
we have indirect duties towards them
value arises though value to humans
unacceptable to beat a dog as you might upset its owner
legislation often concentrates on animals which matter most to humans (animals as property)
what is the position that animals have intrinsic value
we have direct duties towards them
capacity to feel (suffer and feel pleasure) is what matters in our duties
unacceptable to beat dog as this would cause the dog to suffer and this matters in itself
what is intrinsic moral value
if animals have a mental life and feelings (ex if they can feel pain)
–> interests flow from these feelings (ex. the interest in avoiding pain) –> others are obliged to respect such interests
what is sentience
capacity to have feelings
these feelings are perceived states such as sensations or emotions
mental states may be pleasant or unpleasant
what are the 2 strategies for defending the view that animals are sentient
- inferential
- non-inferential
what is inferential
influence from behavioural and neurological similarity and evolutionary continuity
what is non-inferential
knowledge of animal consciousness derives directly from our interactions with animals as conscious beings
what are 2 strategies to defend the viewpoint that animals are not sentient
- behavioural comparisons –> animal behaviour automatic ‘animals as machines’
- higher order definition of consciousness –> phenomenal consciousness (and this conscious perception of feelings) requires the capacity to think about ones own thoughts to have a ‘theory of mind’
what is the socio-zoological scale
hierarchy of animals –> moral ordering, based on traditions and prejudices
people rate animals as morally more or less important and therefore more or less worth protecting according to –> how useful, how closely one collaborates with the individual animal, how cute and cuddly, how harmful, how demonic its perceived to be
use as a basis for animal protection can be critized on both scientific and ethical grounds
what is contractarianism
why should you act morally? because it is in your self interest –> generalized egoism
when you are obligred to show consideration for others this is really for your own sake
moral rules are conventions which serve the best interest of all members of society
this morality applies only to individuals who are rational, self interested persons, have something to gain from entering into the agreement and are capable of entering into (and keeping) an agreement
what is the contractarian view based on
agreement
is that ethical obligations originate in mutual agreements or contracts between people
mutual cooperation is in all of our interests
in cooperating we make agreements (contracts) and it is these agreements that bring ethical obligations into being
non-human animals cannot make agreements (lack understanding and control need to enter a contractual agrrangement)
animals neither create nor have moral duties
morally relevant difference between our relationship to other humans and to animals
what do contractarian view animals
animal suffering or killing of animals are not ethical problems –> any form of animal use is acceptable
use of animals may even be ethically desirable if it benefits humans
lack of moral standing of animals does not mean that the way animals are treated is irrelevant
we may have indirect ethical obligations towards animals –> we should care about animal welfare, because consumers demand and we want to sell products
as far as possible one should avoid using cats, dogs, monkeys and other sensitivite species for research, because the general public objects
what is utilitarianism
all sentient beings, human and non-human have interests (to enhance their happiness and reduce their suffering)
all interests count morally and deserve equal consideration
impact of one’s actions on all sentient creatures is a matter for moral concern
if a being suffers, there is no moral justification for refusing to take that suffering into consideration
what is the utilitarianism viewpoint
all sentient beings, human and non-human have interests (to enhance their happiness and reduce their suffering)
all interests count morally and deserve equal consideration –> impact of one’s actions on all sentient creatures is a matter for moral concern
if a being suffers, there is no moral justification for refusing to take that suffering into consideration
what is morality about in the utilitarian view
maximizing human and animal well-being
animals like humans deserve moral consideration
what is the consequentialist theory
in deciding what to do we must consider welfare consequences for animals as well as potential benefits for humans (and animals)
activities which have an adverse impact on well being of animals may be justified if all things considered they lead to a net increase in welfare (for humans and other animals)
what are the problems with utilitarianism view
only net costs and benefits count
no clear moral distinction between the killing of humans and animals
what is net welfare in utilitarianism
how do we make the calculation
can we define benefit
can we predict the outcome
does not respect the moral value of each individual –> treats beings as vessels of welfare
one individual may suffer to benefit another
what is deontology
animal rights
unacceptable to treat sentient being as a means to achieve a goal
humans thought to have an intrinsic worth, a dignit –> argue that this should be extended to animals
what is the animal rights view
good results cannot justify evil means
defenders of animal rights believe that fixed ethical rules place limits on our treatment of animals –> there are some things that we are not permitted to do to an animal whatever the circumstance
no benefit can justifty the violation of thr rights of an animal –> no reason to look for expected benefits
what is the most radical animal rights view
a defender of animal rights may hold that animals have rights just like our human rights
what is the moral status sense of animal rights
animals have at least some moral status
animals do not exist soley for human use, so they should be treated well for their own sake
what is the equal-consideration sense of animal rights
we must give equal moral weight to humans and animals interest
animal suffering matters as much as human suffering
what is the utility-trumping sense of animal rights
like humans, animals have certain vital interests that we must not override even in an effort to maximize benefit for society
what are the problems with animal rights
what happens when we cannot respect the rights of all individuals
interests of individuals (or groups) are often opposing or even mutally exclusive (how do we combine respect for rats and mice with protecting human health?)
cannot protect prey without adversely affecting predators
