My argument on animal ethics

在一般情况下，边际案例支持动物消费，无论从传统的习惯，它已成为我们生活的一部分。动物消费在短期内不会下降。但是我们可以做更多的事情来减轻动物的痛苦。以人性化的方式对待动物是我们最后的选择。

When we try to identify the demonstration which support the idea that human beings matter morally and non-human animals do not. Marginal cases occur. You always can find some animals possess the features which you differentiate animals and human beings and some special human being groups or individuals do not (The Problem of Marginal Cases). That is, you could not identify a feature that clearly that human beings have rights and animals do not have, there are marginal cases that you ignored. The marginal cases challenge Cohen’s argument that human have rights while animals do not have. He argues that having rights means that you must be part of moral community and autonomous, and can take responsibility for their actions. However, there are some groups who are in marginal status, such as babies, severely mentally-handicapped and the very old and demented. Does that mean do not have rights? Apparently not, his argument are suitable to most people but not all. And I disapprove of the marginal cases which deny Cohen’s argument, which means the marginally cases are convincing to me. Although Cohen responses indicate, “The capacity for moral judgment that distinguishes humans from animals is not a test to be administered to human beings one by one. Persons who are unable, because of some disability, to perform the full moral functions natural to human beings are certainly not for that reason ejected from the moral community.” (Carl Cohen’s Opposition) Lately, he revised that what really matters is that humans are part of the human species and animals are not. Therefore, we came to another aspect, speciesism which insist that human matter morally while animals are not. But like racism and sexism, they play no role in determining one’s moral worth or how one should be treated. Specie is only a very rough proxy for certain capacities or features to the moral status, that is to say, chickens do not have as much as status as human beings because they do not have the features to moral status, not their species (Moral Status of animals). 

Marginally case is powerful because it includes special situations to challenge the common knowledge. That is to say, the marginally cases objected Cohen’s argument that human have rights while animals do not, human can choice whether they want to do one thing or not and also take responsibilities, but animals cannot. So Cohen against the use of animals for biomedical research because animals have no right to not to be experimented on. Therefore, the marginal cases which try to identify equality support the consumption of animals and animal products and our use of animals in medical research. In this view, animals have rights to be experimented on or to be killed. Actually, there are millions animals that are killed to be our food and for experiment every year. The factory farms are built to supply our food demanding. Eating animals become a routine in people’s life although there are opponents who are objected to eating meats. However, the chain of factory farms are not humane. The condition where animal lives are bad and they suffer a lot in their life. One reason that against animals eating is that animals can suffer. Thus treated animals humanely is an urgent measures we need to practice. Our reasons of eating animals for various reasons, habits, tradition, good taste. But our demanding increase the consumption of the animal and animal products, and we know clearly that during the process the animals suffer than we could imagine, thus taking suitable measures to alleviate animal suffer is the first consideration. Our killing can be done humanely, we also can improve the condition of the factory farms. As for experimented animals, we need to take mercy killing after the experiment. Nowadays, there are many animal protection organization struggle for that and people also improve their awareness of animal protection.

In general, marginal cases support the animal consumption, no matter from tradition our habit, it has become one part of our life. Animal consumption cannot decline in a short period. But we can do more things to alleviate the suffering of animals. Treat animals in humane way is our final option.

Reference
1. Class sources, Introduction to ethics: Moral Status of animals, Carl Cohen’s Opposition and The Problem of Marginal Cases
2. Class sources, Introduction to ethics: Feinberg on Rights, Applied Ethics: Moral Status– Animals.


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