Philosophers Flashcards
1
Q
Pythagoras views?
Duties toward animals?
Direct or indirect?
A
- Greek Philosopher and mathematician
- believed in close connections between animals and humans
- believed in not killing or eating animals bc it might be a reincarnated human soul
- Yes
- Indirect
2
Q
Aristotle views?
Duties toward animals?
Direct or indirect?
A
- greek philosopher and scientist
- had some wild animals
- wrote ‘history of animals’ zoology and husbandry
- found that # of piglets decreases, the more the bore procreates in one period
- animals appetite decreases when hot
- sow will not lactate as well when overfed during pregnancy - animals and humans share perception and emotion
- only humans have capacity for speech and reason
- “animals were made by nature for the sake of man”
- no
3
Q
St. Thomas Aquinas views?
Duties toward animals?
Direct or indirect?
A
- italian philosopher and theologian
- same same but different as Aristotle
- christian flavor
- animals are for man so killing and eating is okay
- animals do not have immortal souls
- hurting animals can cause cruel habits in humans
- yes
- indirect
4
Q
Rene Descartes view?
Duties toward animals?
Direct or indirect?
A
- french philosopher, mathematician, physicist, and psychologist
- introduced concept of animals being automatons
- encouraged vivisection
- animals have no language and therefore no rationality
- capable of feeling pain and emotions but no actually thoughts
- no
5
Q
Thomas Hobbes views?
Duties toward animals?
Direct or indirect?
A
- English philosopher
- CONTRACTARIAN
- animals have value only as far as other humans value them in order to maintain contracts between humans
- animals have no language and cannot enter social contract
- animals are not worth of moral consideration
- yes (under certain conditions)
- indirect
6
Q
John Locke views?
Duties toward animals?
Direct or indirect?
A
- english philosopher and physician
- developed on Hobbes (contractarian)
- animals have simple mental capacity (evidence of memory, cannot form abstracts)
- animals can suffer, bad to harm them (affect the human)
- yes (certain situations)
- indirect
7
Q
Immanuel Kant views?
Duties toward animals?
Direct or indirect?
A
- german philosopher
- morality is always following rules
- introduced principal of “categorical imperative”
- always tell the truth (inquiring murderer)
- humans have intrinsic value (right to life)
- animals have no intrinsic value, okay to use animals as a means to an end
- emphasised difference between animals and humans, humans have rationality
- helping animals helps humans
- yes (certain cases)
- no
8
Q
Jeremy Bentham views?
Duties toward animals?
Direct or indirect?
A
- english philosopher and social reformer (concerned about poor conditions for workers)
- consequences of actions is what matters (good>evil)
- not okay to discriminate against
- “question is not, Can they reason?, nor Can they talk? but, Can they suffer?”
- yes
- direct
9
Q
John Stuart Mill views?
Duties toward animals?
Direct or indirect?
A
- english philosopher
- built on Bentham’s views
- developed ‘Greatest Happiness Principle”, UTILITARIAN
- no difference between animals and humans
- yes
- direct
10
Q
Peter Singer views?
Duties toward animals?
Direct or indirect?
A
- australian philosopher
- “Animal Liberation” 1975
- not against using or killing animals (good life + painless death)
- regarded as “father of animal rights” though he is utilitarian
- yes
- direct
11
Q
Tom Regan views?
Duties toward animals?
Direct or indirect?
A
- american philosopher
- “The Case of Animal Rights”, a case against utilitarian
- animals are the subject of life and therefore have inherent value
- harm no one with inherent value
- killing is “harm by deprivation”
- yes
- direct
