Some readings on animal rights/welfare
Good arguments ‘for’ greater animal rights
Peter Singer, Animal Liberation, London: Pimlico, 1995, ch. 1.
Karen Davis, ‘Thinking Like a Chicken: Farm Animals and the Feminine Connection’ in C. Adams and I. Donovan (eds), Animals and Women: Feminist Theoretical Explorations, Durham: Duke University Press, 1995, pp. 192-212.
A story that will resonate
Raimond Gaita, ‘For A Dog’, from his The Philosopher’s Dog (Text 2002).
A good case ‘against’
Brian Scarlett, ‘The Moral Uniqueness of the Human Animal’, from Human Lives: Critical Essays on Consequentialist Bioethics, eds D. Oderberg and J. Laing (Macmillan 1997).
Animal rights #3: a tentative conclusion
Animal Liberation Victoria states that its ‘underlying goal…is to abolish the property status of animals.’ This is a far stronger position than merely arguing for animal welfare policies (with which most decent people agree) because it argues that ‘all sentient beings, regardless of species, have the right to be treated as independent entities…’
The ALV recognises they ‘will not abolish animal exploitation and the property status of animals overnight, but will encourage at all times the adoption of a vegan lifestyle as the most appropriate course to achieve these aims.’
I think they are on far stronger ground in trying to change social norms through education, exposing unethical practices and caring for discarded animals than they are trying to ‘abolish’ the property status of animals. Read more »
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