Introducing Animal Ethics - Different Ethical
Theories - Week 2 Lesson 1 (29/1)
04 October 2023 15:30
• Science is the impact we have on science.
• Ethics is how we should treat animals.
• Legislation is how we must treat animals as it is the law.
How Do Ethics Influence Law?
• Serpell (2004) stated that improvements to animal welfare policies are usually
based on scientific evidence, but it is unlikely that evidence alone would result in
improved welfare unless it resonates with prevailing public attitudes and values.
• Serpell (2004) means that if we spend all our time providing things with science
and evidence, we then may not be able to create change in the real world because
the evidence may not resonate with the public. This happens all the time in
society, no matter how much evidence is presented to people, they won't get on
board with it as it goes against their enmesh beliefs.
• Burton, Peoples et al. (2012) stated that cultural influences must be accounted for
when working towards improving animal welfare.
•
Factors Influencing Our Attitudes Towards Animals
• Phylogeny, which is how closely related the animals are to us, for example,
chimpanzees vs snakes.
• Aesthetics, which is how cute or attractive are they? E.g. pug vs mongrel
• What role do they play in society e.g. lab rabbit vs pet rabbit.
• However, we also need to be aware of our own biases, such as anthropomorphism
and speciesism.
Anthropomorphism
• Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human characteristics to an animal.
•
Foundation Global Applications Page 1
,Introducing Animal Ethics - Different Ethical
Theories - Week 2 Lesson 1 Continued (29/1)
30 January 2024 11:55
Ethical Theories
Contractarianism
• Moral community as they must be able to enter into a contract.
• Animals cannot enter contracts because they do not speak and cannot reason.
• Anthropocentric means that we can use animals as we need to for our benefit, but
we must treat them well in order to preserve our contracts with others.
• Animals do not have a moral status as they do not have the capacity to feel.
Utilitarianism
• Emphasises consequences of actions.
• Seeks to maximise good outcomes, the greatest good for the greatest number.
• However, there are some problems as they are breaking rules for good
consequences, how do you make the calculation to see how many animals should
suffer in order to make more animals better.
•
•
Foundation Global Applications Page 2
, Introducing Animal Ethics - Different Ethical
Theories - Week 2 Lesson 1 Continued 2 (29/1)
30 January 2024 12:06
Foundation Global Applications Page 3
Theories - Week 2 Lesson 1 (29/1)
04 October 2023 15:30
• Science is the impact we have on science.
• Ethics is how we should treat animals.
• Legislation is how we must treat animals as it is the law.
How Do Ethics Influence Law?
• Serpell (2004) stated that improvements to animal welfare policies are usually
based on scientific evidence, but it is unlikely that evidence alone would result in
improved welfare unless it resonates with prevailing public attitudes and values.
• Serpell (2004) means that if we spend all our time providing things with science
and evidence, we then may not be able to create change in the real world because
the evidence may not resonate with the public. This happens all the time in
society, no matter how much evidence is presented to people, they won't get on
board with it as it goes against their enmesh beliefs.
• Burton, Peoples et al. (2012) stated that cultural influences must be accounted for
when working towards improving animal welfare.
•
Factors Influencing Our Attitudes Towards Animals
• Phylogeny, which is how closely related the animals are to us, for example,
chimpanzees vs snakes.
• Aesthetics, which is how cute or attractive are they? E.g. pug vs mongrel
• What role do they play in society e.g. lab rabbit vs pet rabbit.
• However, we also need to be aware of our own biases, such as anthropomorphism
and speciesism.
Anthropomorphism
• Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human characteristics to an animal.
•
Foundation Global Applications Page 1
,Introducing Animal Ethics - Different Ethical
Theories - Week 2 Lesson 1 Continued (29/1)
30 January 2024 11:55
Ethical Theories
Contractarianism
• Moral community as they must be able to enter into a contract.
• Animals cannot enter contracts because they do not speak and cannot reason.
• Anthropocentric means that we can use animals as we need to for our benefit, but
we must treat them well in order to preserve our contracts with others.
• Animals do not have a moral status as they do not have the capacity to feel.
Utilitarianism
• Emphasises consequences of actions.
• Seeks to maximise good outcomes, the greatest good for the greatest number.
• However, there are some problems as they are breaking rules for good
consequences, how do you make the calculation to see how many animals should
suffer in order to make more animals better.
•
•
Foundation Global Applications Page 2
, Introducing Animal Ethics - Different Ethical
Theories - Week 2 Lesson 1 Continued 2 (29/1)
30 January 2024 12:06
Foundation Global Applications Page 3
