Preview

Animals Right

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
894 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Animals Right
Should Animals Have More Rights?
Some people believe that animals are humans’ friends. The other people might do not think so. Because people have different values of animals, the arguments are commenced. Since 1977, all of three philosophers, Peter Singer, Tom Regan and Carl Cohen have respectively written their work to declare the status of animals. On the one hand, according to Peter Singer’s “All Animals Are Equal(1977) ,” and Tom Regan’s “The Case for Animal Rights(1989),” they claim that people should give equal rights to animals as the way do for human beings, and treat all the animals in certain way no matter how the consequences are; On the other hand, in “The Case for the Use of Animals in Biomedical Research(1986),” Carl Cohen believes that animals have no rights because they are not a part of a group whose typical members are moral agents and able to respond to moral claims. Only human can be the top one of the living beings in the world. Then the other two consider this is a form of speciesism. To see how this long debate’s process, animals’ equal rights and speciesism are the focus. First of all, animals should have equal rights. Peter Singer starts to call for the equal rights for animals. A similarity can be found by Tom Regan. Regan presents the principle, “subject-of-a-life” as the basis of his case for the fundamental rights of animals. Once any being has complicated spiritual life, like desire, belief, memory, intention and a sense of the future, which is a subject of a life. Due to the fact that each subject of a life is an individual who worries and thinks about his or her life, that life is defined with inherent value. Indeed, Regan identifies that being is not important as the state, and concludes that all who have inherent value equally. Therefore, all animals’ equal right should be treated with respect. However, Cohen replies that "animals are not morally self-legislative, cannot possibly be members of a truly moral community

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Animals deserve rights because just like humans, they feel excruciating pain, suffer and have feelings. One would argue that animals don’t experience emotions? But the answer is of course they do. It is emotions that allow animals to display various behavior patterns. According to the theory of utilitarianism, all sentient beings should be given consideration in the society and this includes both animals and humans. Also, animals cannot speak for themselves and for this reason they should be treated equally, protected and given the same respect as human beings. Peter singer’s approach also supports the argument on equal consideration in that animals deserve the same respect as human beings but just in a different view. In today’s society humans exploit animals for milk, meat, fur, scientific experimentation etc. and animals are constantly injured or killed. Their pain and sufferings should be taken into consideration, as this unjust treatment is morally unacceptable. Similarly speciesism is an…

    • 476 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Determining the rights of non-human animals and deciding how to treat them may not be a choice available to our human society. As an advocate for the rights of animals, Tom Reganʻs three main goals are to abandon the use of animals in any scientific research, discontinue all commercial animal agriculture, and to completely terminate both commercial and sport animal hunting. To support these intentions, Regan argues that every human and non-human animal possesses inherent value, which makes them all more than a physical object or vessel. He then states that possessing inherent value allows every human and non-human to have rights of their own. To further his argument, Regan claims that the any human and non-human retaining rights requires equal treatment and respect from others. To conclude his argument, Regan states that due to these reasons, non-human animals cannot be treated as resources and must be treated by humans as equals. In this paper, I object to Reganʻs third premise, which states that non-human and human animals must be treated as equals and with respect, because our communication barrier with non-human animals restricts us from determining their notion of equal treatment or respect, and that attempting to do so could…

    • 990 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    More than three decades ago Peter Singer heralded the need for a new kind of liberation movement, one calling for a radical expansion of the human moral canvas and more importantly, a rejection of the horrors human beings have inflicted for millennia upon other sentient beings, treatment historically considered as being both natural and unalterable. Often regarded as being the father of the modern animal liberation movement, Singer contends that the campaign for animal liberation today is analogous to the struggles for racial and gender justice of the past. (1976, p. 34-36) This essay will attempt to highlight the distinctions made by Singer between sentience and self-conciousness and what implications such a distinction suggests for the moral status of animals. Furthermore, this essay will attempt to identify and contrast the moral status of animals with that of human animals and identify the bases of such standing in ethical deliberation.…

    • 1819 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    In his essay, Marvizon points out a clear statement, “Speciesism is unavoidable”. He conveys that treating different species of animals differently is also unavoidable. The ironic equation he provides, “A rat is a pig is a dog is a boy.” reminds me of Singer’s disagreement on “We object to cruelty to dogs while consuming the produce of cruelty to pigs”. Even though we all know that we should never say a dog is superior to a pig, we cannot stop naturally thinking and behaving in this way. If we want to give all kinds of animals and human the same rights, can we really treat a person, a dog and a rat equally? Moreover, Marvizon quotes an interesting question to prove his opinion asked by philosopher Gary Francione “My dog has ticks, what do I do?” According to moral obligation, killing ticks is wrong. However, if we choose not to kill the ticks, then it would be harmful to the dog. In some way, curing dogs turns into the assumption that the dog is superior to ticks, which is exactly the practice of speciesism. Therefore, there is not a perfect to balance the equal right between different animals since they are “different”. They are playing different roles in our society that cannot be easily taken places. For example, most of people require eating meats to gain protein and energy. Contradictorily, It seems that the best way to totally…

    • 1344 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Tom Regan's Position

    • 1157 Words
    • 5 Pages

    This paper deals with the converse positions on Animal rights or Animal Liberation as a basis for better treatment of animals. From the philosophical position of Animal rights Regan argues, that is humans have the ability to have moral rights, so should animals. On the other hand, Singer’s philosophical position is the liberation of animals. He argues that attributing rights to animals is not. the only way of changing their moral status Thus we can see the distinction between the two is one of a philosophical difference, of Utilitarianism and the humanistic value of moral rights.…

    • 1157 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Tom Regan Animal Rights

    • 1452 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Animals contain traits that humans acquire into their everyday lives, yet humans find different approaches to make these animals suffer on a day to day basis. Tom Regan, author of Animal Rights, Human Wrongs, describes various situations in which humans hunt animals for pleasure while Stephen Rose, author of Proud to be a Speciesist, illustrates why a speciesist like himself would use animals for research. Tom Regan’s describes his main point as to why humans would want to slaughter such precious animals to have them for resources. On the opposing side of the argument, Stephen Rose’s argument states that animal cruelty cannot be considered wrong because “Many human diseases and disorders are found in other mammals…” (Rose 553). Although Regan…

    • 1452 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Peter Singer Argument

    • 1055 Words
    • 5 Pages

    2. In “Animal Liberation”, Peter Singer argues that human suffering and animal suffering should be given equal consideration. He believes that a lot of our modern practices are speciesist, and that they hold our best interest above all else. The only animals that we give equal consideration are humans. He questions our reasonings for giving equal consideration to all members to our species, because, some people are more superior than others, in terms of intelligence or physical strength. Humans value themselves over…

    • 1055 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Rhetorical Devices

    • 1472 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Perhaps the most important rhetorical aspect of each paper is the overall structure and order of the author’s ideas as they present their opinions and their purpose to the audience. Throughout Speciesism and Moral Status, Singer presents his information in a very specific way, beginning with the controversial statement that not all humans are above animals, and that there should be a…

    • 1472 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Peter Singer and his philosophy have received a range of praise and criticism for his progressive views. Some have called him the most dangerous man in the world, while others consider him a hero in the teachings of morality and ethics. His detractors make mention of his views on Animal Equality, blasting his comparisons of modern man’s treatment of animals to that of; slavery the Holocaust, human suffering and infanticide. Singer’s essay, All Animals Are Equal, poses the argument that all sentiment beings are entitled to the most basic of dignities and consideration, no different than those considerations reserved for humans. Singer draws no line of distinction between our species and other species who we, as humans…

    • 1249 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    If humans have been given rights of their own, animals should have rights, too. Animals don’t deserve to be experimented on. They feel pain just as humans. We shouldn’t take animals for granted. They have a huge part in our world’s natural cycle. In Lisa Kemmerer’s article titled “Animal Rights” she asserts the issue of what defines animal rights. She addresses the fact that animals need rights just as humans. Ms. Kemmerer subtopics consist of the challenges that follow animal rights, the importance of animal rights, and the reasons why we need to consider standing up for animal rights. As Lisa Kemmerer states, “Animal rights is a simple idea because, at the most basic level, it means only that animal share a right to be treated with respect. It is a profound idea because its implications are far-reaching” (275). It is very important to acknowledge that animals need to be treated with respect. Animals are unable to voice their own rights. It is our duty to use our own rights to advocate the rights of animals. Without advocates for the rights of animals, our economic system may drop from unlawful standards. As a second writer suggests that as human we have moral obligations to not judge one by their outward appearance, skin colour, and ethical background yet we seem to judge animals without considering their feelings (274). We have such an impact on animals that we must stand up for animals and protect them. If we don’t take a…

    • 1733 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Animals from creation have been an essential integral part of human beings. They have frequently been, either directly or indirectly, used by humans to achieve their needs. Hence they are important part and great asset to humans. These animals do have lives different from that of humans and equally have some similar characteristics with humans like emotional feelings. This very fact puts humans in a difficult position of determining the amount of respect and regard that should be accorded to the animals. Some people agitate that animals should be granted same equal rights as human beings. Inasmuch as I quite agree that animals should be granted some rights in order to be free from cruel treatments by humans, the issue of granting them equal full rights as enjoyed by humans should not come up. An objective review of such factors as tradition, cultural believes, religious, socio-economic, and medical as well as salient natural features that distinguish animals from humans like morality, and ability to…

    • 1570 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Taking a Stand Against Peta

    • 2615 Words
    • 11 Pages

    “We love all animals, it’s just people we’re not too crazy about,” is a comment made by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) (Fegan 1). This outrageous comment insinuates PETA puts animals’ rights before the rights and needs of humans, which is not the way nature intended. The PETA organization has been around since 1980 affectively with their hyped-up, illogical stories of how we need to treat animals as equals and grant them rights that only we, as humans, should enjoy. These are assumptions and claims which are used to further their cause and are not founded in reality. Contradictory to PETA’s beliefs, animals should not have the same rights as humans, because that is the law of nature. According to Erasmus Darwin, who stated “Such is the condition of organic nature! whose first law might be expressed in the words 'Eat or be eaten!”. (Science Quotes by Erasmus Darwin) I do not intend to condemn animal rights activists, since people are entitled to their own opinions, but rather discuss why this way of life may be harmful to themselves and others.…

    • 2615 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    References: Cavalieri, Paola. (2001) the animal question, why nonhuman animals deserve human rights. New York, NY: Oxford University Press…

    • 2250 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Animal Rights

    • 793 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Animals on a daily basis all over the world are being mistreated and abused by many people that do not care for them. There are very few people attempting to protect these animals, whether they are domestic animals, farm animals, or wildlife animals. More attention should be drawn to the treatment of animals because even if we do have laws for animals and for their well being, many people still do not follow these laws. The laws already established for animals should be enforced, because I do agree that animals need protection, as in free from any harm done towards them purposely, but to have a Bill of Rights specifically made for animals seems extreme.…

    • 793 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In his essay The Case for Animal Rights, Tom Regan has set out a broad outline as an introduction for his book, The Case for Animal Rights, with same title. In the beginning, the author makes a special emphasis on that, the goals of the advocation of animal rights not only make people treat animals ‘more humane’, but also deny the view, which is fundamental wrong, that animals are humans’ resources. As a defender of animal rights as well as a philosopher, Regan attempts, through his professional knowledge, which area he has been exploring over ten years, to justify that animals have the rights as equal as human beings. In his own words, “people must change their beliefs before they change their habits”.…

    • 552 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays