NML - Animal Issues Flashcards
Moral issues concerning use of animals
Consent – this cannot be given.
Right to Life
Right to protection from unnecessary and avoidable suffering
Why was Darwin’s theory criticised?
-Darwin’s theory of evolution challenged long standing religious beliefs.
-Humans are not unique or a distinct part of God’s creation!
-‘Imago Dei’ comes from the 6th day of Genesis where people are created in the image and likeness of God.
-This throughout history has given rise to the belief of the absolute importance of human life over any otheraspect of creation. But evolution has disproved this notion!
NML - deontology
NML is a deontological theory so it believes in moral absolutes.
In this case issues such as blood sports are either always morally correct or incorrect.
Primary precepts
W – orship God
O – rdered society
R – eproduction
L – advancement of knowledge (learn)
D – preserve life (defend the innocent)
Hierarchy of souls
Animals can use plants and do eat plants.
Humans can use animals and do eat animals.
We have a right over animals as animals have a right over plants.
Aquinas quote
“Although man is of the same genus as other animals, he is of a different species”
(Summa Theologica
What did Aquinas conclude from hierarchy of souls?
-From this Aquinas concluded that humans are the only rational species. Humans alone are capable of determining their actions, so they are the only beings towards which we should extend concern for their own sakes.
-Animals have instrumental value only, meaning that they exist for the sake of the humans that use them.
-Only humans are capable of achieving the final end of union with God, so all other beings exist for humans to achieve that end.
-This includes killing animals if we want to.
Did Aquinas even consider animals?
-Aquinas never really considered animals as part of his theory.
-He stated that human purpose was union with God (beatific vision).
-As a theologian and Christian, he believed that there is a uniqueness about humans and as part of God’s creation we are superior to animals.
-Humans are the only creature made in God’s image.
-When Aquinas put forward the idea that preserving life was important, he meant human life.
Intensive farming
-If animals are for human use, then Aquinas’ NML justifies using animals as food and it justifies intensive farming procedures.
-Given that reportedly it is not uncommon in factory farming for individuals to bludgeon animals to death as a cheaper method of killing them than sending them to a properly regulated abattoir, then as we have seen, on Aquinas’ logic this is not a moral issue.
-The issue of whether animals have a right to life is not relevant to Aquinas’ system, since any potential rights for animals are subsumed under the rights of humans, which include the rights to use animals in any way they wish
-The whole approach is justified further by Aquinas’ appeal to the Bible (e.g., ‘dominion’. Adam was asked to name the animals by God in Genesis)
Is there substance to Aquinas argument?
• Those who support Aquinas see humanity as having greater value than animals, and that animals were created for human use.
• However, it is difficult to see a rational justification for Aquinas’ view. For a start he relies on Aristotle’s account of the hierarchy of souls, according to which all souls have a final end (their ‘telos’), in which case it must be wrong to interfere with that final end.
Judith Barad (Ethicist):
“An animal’s capacities have value independent of their usefulness to human beings”
Cloning
• If the status of animals is no greater than being human beings’ property, then the use of animals in scientific procedures is not itself immoral, particularly as experiments may develop cures for a variety of human diseases.
• If the animal dies as a result of scientific procedure, that would be acceptable to Aquinas.
• The use of animals in scientific experiments is also acceptable within the Catholic Church, which has presumably been influenced by Aquinas
CCC quote
“Medical and scientific experimentation on animals is a morally acceptable practice, if it remains within reasonable limits and contributes to caring for or saving human lives.” (Catechism of Catholic Church)
Animals use
The use of scientific procedures to cure terminal diseases in humans would fulfil the primary precept to preserve (human) life.
The pain inflicted on animals during experiments would be accepted by Aquinas if it was necessary to the experiment. If the pain was not necessary, and was inflicted by human cruelty, Aquinas would have a different view.
Aquinas holds that if a person is cruel to an innocent animal, this is morally wrong, not for the sake of the animal, but because the person concerned
Xenotransplantation
-As with animal cloning, the use of animals as a source of organs for transplants is not an issue that Aquinas would have thought about, nevertheless his account of natural moral law would possibly approve of it.
-Humans do have the moral right to use animals in any way they see fit, so with certain safeguards, using animals as a source of organs for transplants would probably be acceptable to Aquinas’ natural moral law. The safeguards would include a ban on any attempt to modify the human germline, which would be a modification of God’s blueprint for humans at creation.
