The moral conflict I have chosen to analyse is the argument surrounding animal rights and animal cruelty. Firstly, a question to ask is, do animals have rights? If not, then do we have any duties towards them? If so, then what duties? The argument surrounding animal rights has a lot of dilemma within itself; for example, some people chose to eat meat but are very passionate about the protection of animals in regards to the testing of animals for cosmetic purposes. It could, therefore be argued that they are hypocritical for helping the animals yet are still willing for them to be killed for them to eat them. The best opponent of animal rights I have researched is Roger Scruton, his book “Animal Rights and Wrongs” (2006) holds the view that
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His most famous book, “Animal Liberation” was published in 1975 and mostly argues that the freedom of animals is the same as human freedom; and that like us animals themselves are moral subjects who are fulfilled only when free. Singer draws attention to the suffering particularly in the evils of the industrialised farming and he believes that it is difficult to justify any course of animal killing. He argues that whatever reasons there are against killing people should also be used in the arguments against the killing of all animals because “mere difference of species is surely not a morally significant …show more content…
Albert Schweitzer said his address to the French Academy that “the man who is concerned for the fate of al living creatures is faced with problems even more numerous and more harassing than those which confront the man whose devotion extends only to his fellow human beings.” Schweitzer believed, and wrote that in our interactions with animals we are obliged to hard, if not actually kill them and that each one of us has to judge ourselves whether it is actually necessary for us to case pain or kill. Schweitzer then went on to say that “Ethics is only complete when it exacts compassion towards every living thing”. This not only strengthens Peter Singers argument for animal rights but also contradicts and weakens all arguments against animal ethics, including that of Roger Scruton’s. Immanuel Kant also holds a small argument surrounding animal ethics and animal rights. Kant argues that “cruelty to animals is contrary to man’s duty to himself”. This is because it is unlikely that violence amongst humans can ever be cut down to a manageable proportion unless we face the ethical arguments of the treatment of animals. This is because as humans we cannot fathom a
His most famous book, “Animal Liberation” was published in 1975 and mostly argues that the freedom of animals is the same as human freedom; and that like us animals themselves are moral subjects who are fulfilled only when free. Singer draws attention to the suffering particularly in the evils of the industrialised farming and he believes that it is difficult to justify any course of animal killing. He argues that whatever reasons there are against killing people should also be used in the arguments against the killing of all animals because “mere difference of species is surely not a morally significant …show more content…
Albert Schweitzer said his address to the French Academy that “the man who is concerned for the fate of al living creatures is faced with problems even more numerous and more harassing than those which confront the man whose devotion extends only to his fellow human beings.” Schweitzer believed, and wrote that in our interactions with animals we are obliged to hard, if not actually kill them and that each one of us has to judge ourselves whether it is actually necessary for us to case pain or kill. Schweitzer then went on to say that “Ethics is only complete when it exacts compassion towards every living thing”. This not only strengthens Peter Singers argument for animal rights but also contradicts and weakens all arguments against animal ethics, including that of Roger Scruton’s. Immanuel Kant also holds a small argument surrounding animal ethics and animal rights. Kant argues that “cruelty to animals is contrary to man’s duty to himself”. This is because it is unlikely that violence amongst humans can ever be cut down to a manageable proportion unless we face the ethical arguments of the treatment of animals. This is because as humans we cannot fathom a