Precis Assignment Equality for Animas? Misha Khorramshahi Mr.

Bussell HZT4U0 C

This article revolves around the idea of equality for animals and equal consideration of interests. Initially the article questions whether or not people should care so much for the equal rights of animals, when many humans to this day still fight to gain equality. However, this article also advocates the idea of equal consideration of interests as a basic moral principle beyond our own species. It states that animals or other beings that may be less intelligent than the human race are not to be treated poorly, and their interests are just as important as a human being. Jeremy Bentham, a philosopher and a strong believer in equal consideration of interests points out in a passage included in the article, which states that the ability to suffer and experience happiness/enjoyment entitles a being to equal consideration of interests. A comparison between a newborn baby and an animal is made, where both beings are equally unable to communicate or express their thoughts through words, however they both have the capability to feel pain and joy, so should they not be considered equals?

The article also compares the similarity between racists and speciesists. Racists discriminate against other races and put the interest of their own people before all others. Where as speciesists put the interests of their own species before others. In this case, speciesists believe that pain suffered by an animal is not as bad as pain suffered by a person. In some cases, a certain species may suffer more than another, depending on the circumstances of how the pain is applied and executed. Sometimes animals suffer more because of limited understanding, or humans may suffer more because they have knowledge of the pain that is going to be applied to

them. However, the same principals of equal consideration of interests should apply, and if an equal amount of pain is applied to a mouse and a human baby, then one must consider it to be an equally wrong act, unless one is a speciesist.

However, if people change the way they treat animals completely, it could affect the human population drastically, possibly in a negative way that results in sacrifice. It will affect eating habits, shopping habits, farming, science, etc. Specifically our diets will be affected, and our use of animals for food is questioned to be unethical because their flush is arguably a luxury and not a necessity, and is only consumed by humans because people enjoy the taste. The article finally argues whether the value of a human life that is capable of communicating and thinking creatively is equal to the value of an animal that does not have the same abilities. Is a life a life, whether it is an animal or human? There is no conclusion to this argument for the value of life in general has yet to be discussed.