A Solution to Factory Farming Ethics
God gave man dominion over the land and the animals so that he could take care of them and prosper with them Genesis 1:24-31. Since the human race was created in God's image, humans should exercise that dominion with wisdom and mercy like God does upon man. Yet man has perverted this duty by taking too much from the land and animals, and not fulfilling the original contract to take care of them. This has become evident in factory farming because man is mistreating the animals in order to produce the cheapest and most productive system for vast amounts of meat no matter the moral standing to animals and the land. This has to be changed to keep the contract intact, which Peter Singer and Jim Mason are trying to do in The Ethics of Eating Meat. They are trying to convert as many people as possible to vegetarianism and veganism to stop factory farming and what it is doing to the world as it is known. Yet one must argue if that is ever possible, so a better solution must be sought for all the omnivores, vegetarians, and vegans out there may have an alternative that best suits everyone's wishes and the best interests of the contract. One must first look at the issues at hand before seeking the solution that best fits everyone's and everything's best interests. First off, humans have developed something called "speciesism" (Singer And Mason 777), which is a prejudice against anything that is not a part of the dominant human race. Man has denied reasonable rights to animals and plants to prosper in a way that allows them to live their lives not as an object, but as a living thing. Such as it is in factory farming, animals are placed into cramped shelves and confined spaces with unhealthy environmental elements. This is not truly living by any means known to man. Humans know and understand this because they have the same interests as the animals do when it comes to living standards. Singer and Mason state, "If an animal feels pain, the pain matters as much as it does
Cited: Singer and Mason. A World of Ideas: Essential Readings For College Writers Eighth Edition. Boston New York: Bedford/St. Martin 's, 2010. Print