Chapter 11: Animal Rights and Environmental Ethics

A. Three approaches to environmental ethics

a. Anthropocentric- Human centered

b. Biocentric- Life centered

c. Ecocentric- Ecosystem centered

B. Singer-

a. Greatest Happiness Principle

b. Sentience and utilitarian ethics-

i. Suffer without Physical pain, and Pain without Suffering, the capacity to suffer or be

happy. Since we morally ought to maximize happiness and minimize suffering, since

nonhuman animals are just as capable of happiness and suffering as human animals, our

calculations ought to include them as well.

c. Speciesism-

i. Relevant difference-Cruelty to animals is wrong but do they matter as much or more

than humans or other animals?

d. Animal Liberation- “All sentient beings are equal”

i. Spectrum of living things, from trees to humans. Trees cannot feel pain. They are not

sentient. Scallops are not truly sentient; they just have a nervous system. Humans would

be at the top of the list, being sentient, having the ability to reason and rationalize.

C. Regan

a. Subjects of a life-

i. That the animals have a certain sense of FLO, animals have the right to have a full and

natural life.

b. Inherent value vs. instrumental value-

i. that individuals of moral worth have a value independent of their capacities or interests;

the being has rights if it has inherent value. Instrumental means an animal is need

because it is about to be extinct and helps nature. Ex: If an animal is needed to help

humans or nature.

c. Moral agents vs. moral patients-

i. moral agents are beings who are free and rational and thus capable of making of

decisions on their own.

ii. moral patients are those who we care about but cannot be free rational at the time, or

fully developed. EX: 10 year old, pet, person in a coma

d. Contractarianism-

i. Morality consists of a set of rules that individuals voluntarily agree to abide by, as we do

when we sign a contract.

D. Taylor

a. Two principles

i. Moral Consideration: Wild living things are deserving of the concern and consideration

of all moral agents simply in virtue of their being members of the earth’s community of

life.

ii. Intrinsic Value: Regardless of what kind of entity it is in other respects, if it is a member

of the Earth’s community of life, the realization of its good is something intrinsically

valuable.

**Land Ethic (Leopold) “Humans are plain citizens of the biotic community.”

AND “unforeseen consequences of manmade changes”**

b. Respect for nature and moral commitment

i. We may accordingly analyze the attitude of respect for nature into the following

component page 488

1. The disposition, to aim at, and to take steps to bring about, as final and

disinterested ends, the promoting and protecting of the good of organisms,

species populations, and life communities in natural ecosystems.

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Chapter 11: Animal Rights and Environmental Ethics A. Three approaches to environmental ethics a. Anthropocentric- Human centered b. Biocentric- Life centered c. Ecocentric- Ecosystem centered B. Singer- a. Greatest Happiness Principle b. Sentience and utilitarian ethics - i. Suffer without Physical pain, and Pain without Suffering, the capacity to suffer or be happy. Since we morally ought to maximize happiness and minimize suffering, since nonhuman animals are just as capable of happiness and suffering as human animals, our calculations ought to include them as well. c. Speciesism- i. Relevant difference-Cruelty to animals is wrong but do they matter as much or more than humans or other animals? d. Animal Liberation- “All sentient beings are equal” i. Spectrum of living things, from trees to humans. Trees cannot feel pain. They are not sentient. Scallops are not truly sentient; they just have a nervous system. Humans would be at the top of the list, being sentient, having the ability to reason and rationalize. C. Regan a. Subjects of a life - i. That the animals have a certain sense of FLO, animals have the right to have a full and natural life. b. Inherent value vs. instrumental value- i. that individuals of moral worth have a value independent of their capacities or interests; the being has rights if it has inherent value. Instrumental means an animal is need because it is about to be extinct and helps nature. Ex: If an animal is needed to help humans or nature. c. Moral agents vs. moral patients- i. moral agents are beings who are free and rational and thus capable of making of decisions on their own. ii. moral patients are those who we care about but cannot be free rational at the time, or fully developed. EX: 10 year old, pet, person in a coma d. Contractarianism- i. Morality consists of a set of rules that individuals voluntarily agree to abide by, as we do when we sign a contract. D. Taylor a. Two principles i. Moral Consideration: Wild living things are deserving of the concern and consideration of all moral agents simply in virtue of their being members of the earth’s community of life. ii. Intrinsic Value: Regardless of what kind of entity it is in other respects, if it is a member of the Earth’s community of life, the realization of its good is something intrinsically valuable. Land Ethic (Leopold) “Humans are plain citizens of the biotic community.” AND “unforeseen consequences of manmade changes” b. Respect for nature and moral commitment i. We may accordingly analyze the attitude of respect for nature into the following component page 488

The disposition, to aim at, and to take steps to bring about, as final and disinterested ends, the promoting and protecting of the good of organisms, species populations, and life communities in natural ecosystems.

The disposition to consider actions that tend to realize those ends to be prima facie obligatory because they have that tendency
The disposition to experience positive and negative feelings toward states of affairs in the world because they are favorable or unfavorable to the good or organisms, species populations, and life communities in natural ecosystems. c. The Biocentric Outlook on Nature: life centered, not the environmental as a whole, just those living beings like other species. 4 components on page 490
Humans are thought of
The Earth’s
Each individual
Whether we are concerned with standards of merit or with the concept of inherent worth, the claim that humans by their very nature are and, in the light of elements 1, 2, and 3 above, must be rejected as nothing more than an irrational bias in our own favor. E. Baxter a. Four Criteria for solving moral problems (these will solve our problems) i. Freedom (harm principle): freedom should be maximized unless it interferes with other’s rights ii. Do not waste: do not waste valuable resources, recycle and cut down needless work iii. Respect for people: human beings as ends not means. But he doesn’t care about animals iv. Welfare capitalism (rawls): equal opportunity with primary goods and competition b. If no one cares about a species and it has no positive effect on our lives, then we don’t need to save it. If it does then we should save it. c. Optimal level of pollution i. We do not need pure air but a normal air, or an air that creates a maximized human happiness ii. Pollution doesn’t matter until it hurts us What is natural? Or pure?

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