All Animals Are Equal

1
All Animals Are Equal

• Peter Singer

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Liberation Movements

• Liberation movements demand an expansion of moral
  horizons
• If we wish to avoid being oppressors, we must
  rethink our most fundamental attitudes

3
Extensionist Ethics

• Singer argues that we extend to other species the
  basic principle of equality that most of us have
  extended to all humans

4
Women and Men

• Just because women are different than men in some
  respects does not mean that they have less moral
  worth.
• Recognizing the equal moral worth of women may
  require giving them different things than we give
  men.
• Women need pre-natal care, not men.

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Not Actually Equal

• We cant base the fact that we should give all
  people equal consideration on the claim that they
  are actually equal in all respects.
• This is false. Some are larger, some smarter,
  some happier etc.
• Perhaps we could say the groups are equal though?

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Slavery of the Stupid?

• Unfortunately this will still lead to bad
  consequences for the individuals that are less
  well endowed. We might have to give those that
  are shown to be better in relevant respects (e.g.
  smarter) more respect than others. We might have
  slavery of those with low IQs.

7
Genetic Differences

• Furthermore, we cant even say that abilities
  etc. are distributed equally amongst the sexes
  etc. There may be genetic differences.
• Equality is a moral ideal, not an assertion of
  fact (Singer, 30)

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Interests and Welfare

• We should treat all those affected by our actions
  with equal respect. Everyones interests deserve
  equal consideration.
• It doesnt matter what abilities one possesses.

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Well Being

• Just because some of us are smarter than others
  doesnt mean we can treat others poorly.
• We need to give people and animals those things
  that improve their well being.

10
Dogs are Different (but Equal)

• Recognizing that dogs are different from people
  doesnt show that they have less moral worth.
• Recognizing the equal moral worth of dogs does
  not mean we owe them the right to vote.

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Singers View

• The basic principle of equality is the equality
  of consideration
• Giving different species equal consideration may
  lead to different treatment and different rights

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• What entitles us to treat (less intelligent)
  animals poorly?

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Bentham

• The question is not, Can they reason? nor Can
  they talk? but, Can they suffer? (Bentham)
• Ex. Stone and mouse

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Infants and the Differently-Abled

• Infants cant reason, or talk but we dont think
  that we can treat them poorly because they lack
  these capacities.
• Similar things could be said about the
  differently-abled.

15
Pain and Rights

• The capacity to suffer is necessary and
  sufficient for equal moral consideration.
• We dont need to appeal to rights to justify this
  conclusion.

16
Humans are speciesists

• Speciesism is discrimination against animals
  one is a speciesist when one allow the interests
  of ones own species to trump the greater
  interests of another species.

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Knowledge of Death

• Some claim that animals dont suffer because they
  cant know that they will be killed.

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• But animals can suffer from poor living
  conditions or being shocked etc. this is enough
  to justify concern for their living conditions
  etc.

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All of the Signs

• We cant experience others pain but we can see
  the effects behavioral, neurological, and
  verbal.
• Animals (especially mammals and birds) show all
  of the signs of pain that they can given their
  physiology.
• It is not simpler to assume that animals unlike
  humans do not feel pain.

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Useful Protection

• Besides pain is useful for animals. It allows us
  to avoid things that damage our bodies

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Emotions etc.

• Animals also have some emotions (fear, stress,
  etc.).
• Some are probably conscious.
• Language is not necessary for having pain and
  some animals can be taught a language.

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Horses and Humans

• To give the interests of all equal consideration
  we should be no more inclined to cause an equal
  amount of pain to a horse than a human.
• Consider kidnapping people vs. animals in order
  to perform experiments on them.
• It wouldnt be speciest to choose the animals
• It might still be immoral

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One Form of Speciesism

• The most direct form of contact with members of
  other species is at meal-times we eat them. In
  doing so, we treat them as a means to our ends
• There are other ways to satisfy our need for
  protein such as soy beans
• Ex. Hens, pigs, veal calves

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A Second Form of Speciesm

• Experimentation is not always used for vital
  medical research which reduces human suffering
  Ex. Drug companies test products on animals food
  additives shampoo
• The possible benefits to mankind are either
  non-existent or remote again, a clear indication
  of speciesism

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Species-Membership

• We dont think it is O.K. to kill infants even
  though some, even with intensive care, will never
  have the intellect of a dog.
• The fact that they are a member of our species is
  simply irrelevant. That is like saying it is
  O.K. to kill blacks but not whites because whites
  are white.
• One might say infants, the senile and the
  severely disabled can be killed at will, but this
  is implausible.

26
Death

• Singer concludes that the capacities of normal
  humans may provide reasons to save their lives
  over the lives of animals.

27
Pain

• He still believes, though, that because all
  animals have the capacity to feel pain we cant
  choose to cause animals pain rather than humans.

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In Conclusion

• Singer warns us that the best minds can fall
  victim to a prevailing ideology
• Singer is a species egalitarian he believes that
  humans and animals have equal moral standing