issues of non-human life + death (animal welfare) Flashcards
The Historical Relationship Between Religion, Ethics + Animal welfare
Ancient Greece + Christian church = little consideration to animal welfare.
1) Animals seen as SUBORDINATES of human beings due to inferior rational capacities.
Genesis 1 Creation story: “ Let us make mankind in our image… so they may rule over the fish over the sea + birds in the sky”. DOMINION God has given humanity over the earth.
2) Hinduism + Buddhism: common principle = AHISMA = :”Do not harm”. As a result vegan or vegetarian lifestyles are adopted.
UK Laws introduced
1952- The “Cock Fighting Act” outlawed cockfighting
2007- “Animal welfare act” = penalty of mistreating animals could face 51 weeks in prison.
Peter singer + SPECIESISM
Speciesism= just like racist holds their race superior.
Singer believes Speciesism is on par with racism + sexism ( an ethical error)
People believe their species is superior.
1) Like we view racism with disgust, people born centuries from now, may look @ mass consumption of meat with the same horror.
Arguments Against using animals as food
1) Animal rights argument:
- Intrinsically wrong to kill an animal for food.
- Like principle of AHISMA. Animals are living beings + its wrong to kill humans so wrong to kill animals.
- Unnecessary factory farming, when meat free diet = easily achieved.
2) Environmental arguments:
- Eating meat causes damage to natural world.
- Global warming
- Intensive farming
Intensive farming.
- To meet mass production
- small + filthy conditions
- Painful procedures without anaesthetic (de-beaking + branding)
- contributes to hunger as cattle require more grain than they can produce meat.
Cloning
- mass breeding programmes government-licensed ; testing drugs + vaccines.
- saving endangered species, + making disease resistant.
-Risk of slippery slope, human-animal hybrids
-Risks + suffering it causes
Fletcher’s response “sinning bravely” + he was involved in cloning.
Animals in blood sports
- Involves blood shed + often leads to death
- source of entertainment to humans
- Physical + emotional suffering
Organ transplants (XENOTRANSPLANTATION- transplanting organs or tissues from 1 species to another)
- Used in medical research (transplanting human tumours cells into mice)
- Concerns transmission of animal diseases into humans + possible mutation into something deadly.
- Transgenic pigs produced to transplant hearts into humans, help with the shortage of human hearts for donations
AQUINAS views on animals
deontological
NML
- Animals are irrational, they have instinctive not instrumental value.
- They have a final end to serve our needs
- Believed it was wrong to be cruel to animals; since of the impact on human relationship.
-Legal penalty for hurting animals, given as compensation for the harm of the owner.
Old Testament: showing consideration for animals “ not yoking together an ox + donkey for ploughing) his views= as cruelty to animals might encourage cruelty to humans.
APPLICATION TO ISSUES
NML
View animals are intended for humans:
- Animals have no right to life
- Using animals for medical testing fulfils 1st primary concept.
- NML would reject any type of cloning that produces animal-human hybrids.
- Suffering to animals only a matter of concern when cruelty, only as humans might hurt one another.
MODERN CATHOLIC VIEWS
NML
- World tends to be anthropocentric + needs of humans are seen as taking priority.
-Catechism of Catholic Church- animals are created by God with intrinsic value “men owe them kindness”.
Pope Francis reuses anthropocentrism.
- Animal testing allowed, big value to human well-being, suffering just be kept to minimum “with reasonable limits”
- Pressure on Magisterium to denounce blood sports
- Opposes Xeontansplantation of gametes.
APPLICATION OF SITUATION ethics
4 presuppositions
SITUATIONIST: approach that animals have exactly the same right as humans to moral consideration+ agape would reject all 4 uses to animals
- no clear views
- PERSONALISM:
Anthropocentric approach
-Intensive farming; Some situationists argue should be increased to address global hunger.
-support XENOTRANSPLANTATION. Helping vast scale of people “A vast majority of Agape calculus”
justified by helping so many “sinning bravely”
-Others denounce, advocate reduction in meat production + increase arable farming of crops for humans use.
-WORKING principle; support animal testing.
Promoting human well-being + saving lives.
Demand of Agape means there should be minimum suffering for animals involved.
-SITUATION ethics, oppose use of animals in blood sports.
Since Agape promotes compassion; than cruelty.
Potentially desensitising effect of blood sports on humans leads to agape being disregarded.
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APPLICATION DUE TO VIRTUE ETHICS:
Aristotle’s view on animals
:-Views formed around the basis of Aquinas
- Animals came below humans in his hierarchy of living things.
- Their final end was to serve human needs
- He did not view animals as having rights.
APPLICATION TO ISSUES (VIRTUE ETHICS)
INTENSIVE FARMING
INTENSIVE FARMING:
- Not compatible to being a virtuous person
- Ethos of making large profits in easiest way encourages vice of greed.
- Appalling conditions, is not compassionate.
- Meat production for western meat eaters intensifies problem of global hunger.
APPLICATION TO ISSUES (VIRTUE ETHICS)
ANIMAL TESTING + CLONING
ANIMAL TESTING + CLONING:
- Aristotle dissected humans in his own research.
- thus, compatible with being virtuous
- Intelligence to find out more info higher importance, so animal testing would meet intellectual virtue.
- More effective ways treating human disease help both animals + people. Reflecting compassion.
- Lack of concern (NOT USING ANESTHETICS) is not compassionate.
- Virtue ethicists, not virtuous as its done without consent. Goes against 3 R’s (Reduction, Replacement + Refinement)
- Rosalind Hursthouse promotes virtue of animal concern.
