Chapter Eleven: Animal Rights and Environmental Ethics Review Applying Ethics: A Text with Readings (10 th ed.) Julie C. Van Camp, Jeffrey Olen, Vincent Barry Cengage Learning/Wadsworth

What are traditional approaches to animal rights? Judeo-Christian tradition Animals put here for our purposes Some exceptions: St. Francis of Assisi Philosophical tradition (Descartes, Kant) Traditionally excludes nonhuman animals from rights of persons We have no moral obligations to animals Social contract theory Agreement among persons Excludes rights for animals

What are contemporary approaches to animal rights? What is the utilitarian approach? (Singer) As animals feel pleasure and pain, just as human animals, we have moral obligations to them We should maximize pleasure and minimize pain for all animals, both human and nonhuman What is the Kantian approach? (Regan) Rejects utilitarianism Nonhuman animals should be treated with respect and dignity, just like human animals

What is speciecism? What is “Speciesism”? a prejudice or attitude of bias toward interests of one’s own species and against those of other species What is the conventional view? morality is dependent on persons and social contract among them What is criticism of the conventional view? all animals have inherent value, even if they are not moral agents

What are major environmental problems today? Ozone depletion Global warming Acid rain Trash Extinction of species

What is anthropocentrism? Approaching all environmental issues solely in terms of how they impact persons Human actions are right (or wrong) by: Consequences to human well-being (utilitarian) Consistent with norms protecting human rights (Kantian) Responsibilities with regard to natural ecosystems, but only as they further realization of human values and/or human rights No obligation to promote or protect good of nonhuman living things

What is the difference between holistic and individualistic environmental ethics? Holistic (Leopold): The good of the biotic community as a whole is the morally fundamental good Individualistic (Taylor): The good of the individuals in the biotic community is the morally fundamental good (including both humans and nonhuman life)

Peter Singer “All Animals are Equal... Or why Supporters of Liberation for Blacks and women should Support Animal Liberation Too ” Peter Singer Why is speciesism wrong? for the same reasons sexism and racism are wrong What is the principle of equal consideration? the pain that nonhuman animals feel is of equal moral importance to the pain that humans feel What does utilitarianism show? shows that we owe moral obligations to nonhuman animals

“The Case for Animal Rights” Tom Regan Why does he reject utilitarianism for animal rights? How does he support rights for nonhuman animals? Using Kantian respect for nonhuman animals

“Do Animals Have Rights?” Carl Cohen How does he argue that animals cannot possess rights? Only humans are moral agents with rights Challenges Regan’s Kantian analysis attributing rights to animals Is the use of animals in medical research justifiable? What obligations do we have to animals, even though animals do not have rights?

“The Ethics of Respect for Nature” Paul W. Taylor What is his approach to environmental ethics? Individualist (not holistic) What is the principal concern of individualists? Individual organisms, not biotic community as a whole What is his life-centered system? Kant-like respect for all of nature All living things have inherent worth