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Week 4: Deontological Ethics
Week 4: Deontological Ethics
Deontological ethics
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In today’s culture there is a consensus that opposes animal cruelty, from government organizations to non profit organizations. Is it morally okay to inflict some pain on animals if it is for the benefit of a certain group; can it be justifiable? Tom Regan and Peter Singer position on vivisection but understand moral value in a more individualist term instead of a group of species. Regan and Singer both discuss vivisection in different terms. One looks at it through deontology (Regan) while the other through utilitarianism (Singer).
Tom Regan's position on moral consideration toward animals is about 'animal liberation' based on animal rights. He is against animal cruelty, stands for the welfare and the protection of animals. Cruelty is wrong on all account, “morally vile for the same reasons” (Regan pg. 66). He wants to abolish not reform the human to non human relationship. Is it morally okay to inflict pain on animals? Rights outweigh the interest that someone may have. Regan believes in the moral rights which are based on the
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If animal experiments could lead to immense benefits, they could be defensible. We should look at these issues and try to put yourself in them would you want to be tested on for purposes that does not benefit your species. Because we value a humans life over a non human life the chance of using a human is unlikely. If an experiment has failed it is better that it has failed with a non human that does not share or lack the same interest than that of a human. People that believe this way are somewhat of a speciesists, if they have no problem conducting an experiment on a non human but when it comes to a human that has no cognition. Speciesism is a type of discrimination, believing that one species (human) is greater and that their lives are more valuable just because they feel pleasure/ pain and can understand reasoning better than a non
As Regan himself states, ‘I believe that the philosophy of animal rights is the right philosophy.’ (Ryder, 1992, p.55) Proving how strongly he feels on the subject. Similar to Singer, Regan was central in ‘providing intellectual justifications for granting a higher moral status to animals.’ (Garner 1997, p.1) Other animals do not deserve to be treat as inferior to human beings because having a point of view betokens having fundamental rights. This includes the rights not to be made to suffer, not to be confined and not to be killed by human agents. Animals have rights as beings with an interest in respectful treatment. Unlike Singer, Regan directly states he is against the use of animal captivity when he writes, ‘the philosophy of animal rights calls for an end to the capture and training of wild animals, for the purposes of entertainment.’ (Ryder, 1992, p.60) As SeaWorld, many wildlife parks, zoos and circuses exploit animals as a means of entertainment for money, Regan argues they must be brought to an end as it is against their rights as living, rational and autonomous creatures. Kalof and Fitzgerald clear up Regan’s claims in their book ‘The Animals Reader: The Essential Classic and Contemporary Writings’ when they state ‘the position he articulates in his writings is that animals, like humans, have moral rights, and treating them as if
Peter Singer’s arguments in Animal Liberation have often been misunderstood. The most mutual, and important, misunderstanding among professional thinkers consists in the belief that the moral argument advanced by Animal Liberation is created on utilitarianism, besides not, as is in fact the situation, on the belief of no maleficence. Peter Singer’s Animal Liberation is surely one of the most persuasive, powerful and efficient works of applied integrities ever printed. Since the publication of the first edition in April 5, 1973, Singer’s work has been spoken, and its main theses enthusiastically argued by others. In the essay Singer’s tone was very rational and patient,
The essay “Ill-gotten Gains” first appeared in a book called ‘Health Care Ethics’ and was written by Tom Regan, a renowned philosopher, author and animal rights advocate. The essay appeared again in Tom Regan’s best known book called ‘The Case for Animal Rights’ which states Regan’s beliefs regarding animal rights and provides a sound argument as to why animals should not be exploited for our own gain. Tom Regan believes all animal use that benefits humans is morally unacceptable, including for food, entertainment, labour, experiments and research. “Ill-gotten Gains” argues that to be on the right moral path we need to view all individuals with inherent value as a ‘subject of a life’. Regan argues that any practice in which a ‘subject of life’ is used as a resource is immoral, not because of emotion, but because of reason.
Putting aside the countless claims that animal experimentation is unethical and should be banned, it is incredibly necessary and useful for mankind. Experimenting on humans is inhumane and completely immoral, while animals that do not function in the same way humans do should be used in medical research and to test the safety of various products. If animal testing were illegal, how would worldly corporations determine the safety of products? Surely the valuable lives of human beings are not essential to risk, hence the reason that animal experimenting is necessary. In addition, medical research would be in great jeopardy if were animals were not permitted to be experimented on. Medical industries have already come so far in treating multiple ailments due to the tests performed on animals. Alas, it is safe to say that for the continued thriving of our society, forbidding animal experimentation would be detrimental.
With this conclusion, he makes a movement to fight for the total abolition of the use of animals in science, the total dissolution of animal agriculture, and the total elimination of commercial and sports hunting and trapping. However, this argument is invalid as Regan has an extreme standpoint on animal rights. According to Regan, all human beings, regardless of sex, race, religion, birthplace, etc., altogether have inherent value, possess it equally, and have an equal right to be treated with respect. He states that we should not limit this inherent value only to humans, but to non-human animals as well, even though animals lack many abilities that humans possess; for example, they are not able to read, to use technology, to write a philosophy paper.
As an advocate of animal rights, Tom Regan presents us with the idea that animals deserve to be treated with equal respect to humans. Commonly, we view our household pets and select exotic animals in different regard as oppose to the animals we perceive as merely a food source which, is a notion that animal rights activists
Animal testing has been used for developing and researching cures for medical conditions. For example, the polio vaccine, chemotherapy for cancer, insulin treatment for diabetes, organ transplants and blood transfusions are just some of the important advances that have come from research on animals (“Animal Testing”). Consuming animals for research benefits in developing various treatments and also benefits in discovery better methods for cures. According to the article “Animal Testing”, it says that the underlying rationale for the use of animal testing is that living organisms provide interactive, dynamic systems that scientists can observe and manipulate in order to understand normal and pathological functioning as well as the effectiveness of medical interventions. It relies on the physiological and anatomical similarities between humans and other animals (MacClellan, Joel). Meaning that animals have the same body components and features as humans and is the best thing to research on to better understand the human development. Even though several argue that animal testing is harming the animals, one has to think back to all the benefits that has come from it. There may be a little remorse for endangering animal lives, but realizing how far medicine has come makes it worth the while.
Is the use of animals in research justified? Should animal experimentation be permitted? Should these animals be liberated? A logical person would say the benefits justify the research. Without animal testing, products would be based on theory. No one would want to use something, which may damage eyes, be poisonous, cancerous, and cause birth defects. Animals used in testing are not from the endangered species list; also many of the types of animals used are killed each year by rat or mouse traps, animal control, exterminators, and animal shelters. Animal testing reaps great benefits such as finding effective drugs to combat disease, improve surgical procedures, and make products safe.
Animal cruelty and rights is an issue evident in our current society. The benefit we gain through the mistreatment of animals is outweighed by the suffering experience by animals. We can determine the mistreatment of living animals is morally wrong. The actions with consequences mistreating animals, such as the breeding and production of animals for slaughter, are determined as morally wrong. Therefore, when acting in accordance to act utilitarianism the suffering of animals is prevented. For this reason, act utilitarianism is likely to be accepted by those who believe in the rights of living animals or the absence of suffering for
Regan’s view on animal rights is much more empathetic than Cohen’s. The biggest aspect of his argument is the inherent rights view, which states that we have direct duties to all individuals, both humans and animals, because they have rights. Regan believes that we have these direct duties to all “experiencing subjects of a life”. This entails individuals that are capable of feeling emotions and the effects of living. Such beings have
The ugly truth is that animals are dying at the hands of their owners everyday, some in very violent ways that can be avoidable given the right solution. Slaughterhouses, puppy mills, dog fighting, and so on, are just a few examples of how animals are being treated badly by people. Animal cruelty is a form of violence which, un...
In the late 1800’s, British Quakers stated that the practice of vivisection was immoral and opposed what Christ intended for the relationship between humans and animals. In the 1960’s, animal rights became popular in the United States and Europe and the organizations formed by this movement emphasized that animals should have the same rights as humans. The standards of experimental tests on animals have improved tremendously and laws such as, the Animal Welfare Act, have been passed to ensure the proper treatment of the test subjects. Anesthetics are now used to reduce pain and the animals are under constant surveillance. The ethics of vivisection will remain questioned by skeptics and illegal practices will still occur, but the practice as a whole has
Experimentation on animals is cruel, unfair, and does not have enough beneficial results to consider it essential. Humans and animals have many characteristics in common. Animal skin and organs are similar to humans and tend to react to tests the same as a human would. Primates and other animals are captured in the wild. There is even a market for laboratory animals where licensed dealers sell animals to research companies.
For many years there has been controversy whether or not animals should be tested on between scientists and animal right supporters. It is very debatable if animals should be tested on when a cure for a disease could be found from testing on animals. From my own personal view I have a huge heart for animals, but if we can not find other alternatives, and is possible we can find cures for diseases, then animals may be used for research, but only for medical reasons.
Humans place themselves at the top of the sociological tier, close to what we as individuals call our pets who have a sentimental value in our lives. Resource animal’s on the other hand have a contributory value within our lives: they provide us with meat and other important resources. In order to determine the boundaries between how we treat animals as pets and others simply as resources, utilitarians see these “resource animals” as tools. They contemplate the welfare significances of animals as well as the probable welfares for human-beings. Whereas deontologists see actions taken towards these “resources animals” as obligations regardless of whom or what they harm in the process. The objection to these theories are, whose welfare are we