Animal Rights
Are you a speciesist?
Animal Rights in the News
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Definitions
• Sentient = the ability to perceive or feel things
• Speciesism = the assumption of human
superiority leading to the exploitation of animals
Historical Legislation
• Making a huge movement (where Gay Rights
were 25 years ago)
• Genesis 1:20-28 = "dominion over the fish of the
sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the
cattle, and over all the earth, and over every
creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth."
• 1641 by Descartes = Animals can’t feel pain, no
minds, souls, and don’t have reason
Historical Legislation Con’t
• 1635 = laws against ploughs to horses tails/wool
off sheep
• 1693 = Locke says do feel pain, unnecessary
pain is morally wrong
• 1754 = Rousseau says should be part of natural
law because they are sentient
• 1789 = Benthem says it’s the ability to suffer, not
reasoning that changes how we deal with them
Historical Legislation Con’t
• 1824 = Society for the Prevention of the Cruelty
to Animals (Britain)
• 1866 = SPCA in USA
• 1933 = Nazi Party with most comprehensive
animal rights legislation in EU (human testing
was problematic (health) so redone on some
animals
• Post WWII = increase in industrialized farming
and new concerns/legislation
Historical Legislation Con’t
• 1970 = coined “speciesism” (Richard Ryder)
• 1975 = Animal Liberation (Singer)
• 1976 = Animal Liberation Front (ALF)
• 1980 = People for the Ethical Treatment of
Animals (PETA)
Peter Singer’s (pro)
• Utilitarian based
• Rightness of an act based on consequences of
actions with regards to pleasure or pain
• They can feel pain, and therefore must have
equal consideration in decision making
Tom Regan’s (pro)
• Animals have inherent value and cannot be used
as a means to an end
• Cognitive abilities are possessed by some nonhuman animals, stronger than some humans
and therefore rights must be given to them
• While a really young child doesn’t make moral
decisions, but is rather a ‘moral patient’, animals
fall under the same category and should be
protected by rights
Carl Cohen (con)
• No to granting personhood to animals
• Holders of rights must distinguish between their
own interests and what is right
• Against Singer’s young child because Cohen
argues that you don’t look at humans
individually, but rather as a species in general
Roger Scruton (con)
• Rights imply obligations
• Idea of rights and responsibilities is distinct to
human condition, seems illogical to spread it
elsewhere
• Anthropomorphism
• Cat’s affection, but really selfish
• Dog’s affection, regardless of what we do to
them
Posner-Singer Debate
• http://www.slate.com/id/110101/entry/11
0109/
• Letter Task
Posner-Singer Debate
• Task:
• identify and analyze points made
• summarize arguments
• experience dialogue between Singer/Posner
• understand the finer points of such a debate
Posner-Singer Debate
• What did you find about them?
• Use of their own words against them
• Finding common grounds (agreements)
• Use of plenty of examples (sharing examples)
• Defining terms used
• Friendly-ish manor
Generally Specific
Discussion Topics
• Where is the line between discussing an issue like
being a vegan, and following someone around
slap food out of their hands that have animal
byproducts in them?
• Should we reconsider our eating habits?
• What might animal rights look like?
For Next Week
• Bring pen/paper