The Definition Of Animal Equality : Summary

Almost everyone loves the sight of animals, or at least one in particular. We do not mean to think down on animals or take superiority over them, but it is the truth, it happens. Even though it should not happen, it does. Animals and humans should be equal in rights and superiority. We should also stop treating them as if all animals are pets because in reality, wild is wild. Feeding animals as if they are pets, just to get close to them, is

In Peter Singer’s article, All Animals are Equal, Singer claims that animals deserve the same equal rights and respect that the human lives get. His strongest argument is defined by all animals, human or non-human shall be defined as equal. Singer makes some very strong arguments within his article, but I feel some of his statements are humanist. As an animal lover and mother to two pets, I disagree that not all animals or living things endure the same amount. However, I do agree that animals do deserve the rights to live lives as animals should. This paper will analyze Singer’s argument in relation to the specific issue of animal equal rights. It will also include the counterarguments I have against his claims of his article.

When it comes to animals, everyone seems to have an opinion. Some love them, some hate them. Some believe that animals feel and experience authentic emotions, while others believe that they do not have the capability to do so. A lack of belief in the existence of emotions in animals is often used to justify wrongful treatment. Are some animals more aware of feelings than others? These questions and more demand answers. Animals definitely have emotions, and because of this we must rethink many of our modern practices.

Just because humans are considered a more powerful species, doesn’t give us the right to treat animals as if they are nothing. Would you want to be treated that way by a more dominant species just for their benefit? It is clearly unfair. If you pull your cat’s tail, it yells because it hurts. Animals experience pain. They go through the same pain that we would if we were subjected to painful, deadly experiments. Whether it’s a dog, cat, rabbit, mouse, chimpanzee, or human, pain is something we all feel.

many of our fellow creatures are more like us than we have ever imagined. They feel pain, suffer and experience stress, affection, excitement and even love…” (1). This statement can also be proven through science. Just like humans, animals also have “the same types of nociceptors… A-delta and C fibers...” (Victoria Braithwaite 1). These nociceptors are used to detect pain. If animals display many of the same qualities as humans and feel pain, they should be treated more humanely.

Animals are moral patients, therefore we have an obligation to protect them from suffering as we would babies and other humans that fall under moral patient

There are many animals who deal with abuse everyday, and that is not okay. If an animal is neglected or abused the pet will be taken away and the caretaker will be charged $1,500. Animals are very loyal, such as dogs, dogs are one of the most loyal animals you can own. When abused, they don’t know where they went wrong. They only know that you are mad at them. Animals, such as humans, shouldn’t be abused or neglected. Most animals who are abused or neglected are usually abused unintentionally, but the second most are abused on purpose. The people who abuse animals on purpose sometimes deal with mental illnesses, were abused as children, or have a hard time dealing with stress or anger. Animals are just like humans who have been abused. They are usually skittish and shy. People tend to see animals differently than humans, but they are the same in my eyes. For example, if I locked you in my basement, starved, and beat you, I’d be charged with attempted murder and kidnapping. Pets have the same rights as you to live freely, but people don’t see it. You are able to live on your own and take care of yourself, but they

Animal abuse is something that has been around since ancient times. Even Aristotle, in his own way, abused animals. He believed that animals were merely possessions. Aristotle even wrote in his Great Chain of Being how he believed the species on earth were arranged in a hierarchy, with humans being at the top and animals at the bottom, and that those at the bottom were only meant to serve those above them (“Animal Rights”). However, because they believed in the transmigration of the soul between humans and animals, the Pythagoreans and Neo Platonists thought that people should respect animals and their interests. So while many people may not have treated animals

Over the centuries, animals have suffered from cruelty from humans. In the United States, animals are beaten, neglected, or forced to struggle for survival. Animals have been inflicted with pain from humans for reasons other than self-defense. They have been slaughtered for their food and fur for personal gain in profit. In a majority of cases they have even been abused for someone’s own personal amusement or out of rage filled impulses. In some cases animals are found and rescued. They are given the second chance in life to experience what life should be like compared to what they once had.

In Peter Singer’s article “All Animals are Equal,” Singer advocates for the basic principle of equality to be extended to animals. By the basic principle of equality, he means that all beings should receive equal consideration in relation to experiencing pain and pleasure.

Seems rhetorical, but the fact is animals live through this everyday, without even given the choice. As humans, we establish our authority among all living beings, but for what reasons? Are humans better than all other species? Or is it true that we should hold a precedence over nonhuman animals? The ultimate question then remains, should animals have as much or equal to the same rights as humans? Their are endless arguments for and against this question, and many sub arguments that go hand in hand with each side. In this paper, I will discuss the definition of what animal rights entails and expand on the history that developed it’s meaning. Furthermore, I will thoroughly discuss, reason, and explain each opinion presented by our current society as well as the positions held by previous philosophers. Lastly, I will draw a conclusion to the opinions presented by discussing my personal position on the argument of animal rights.

In fact, whether an animal can suffer or not has been a repetitious question since the factory farming industry has initiated and evolved. In the book Animal Liberation, written by Peter Singer, he asks the same question to the reader: “The question is not ‘Can they reason?’ nor ‘Can they talk?’ but ‘Can they suffer?” There is no right or wrong answer to this question, but there is capacity to understand where one might agree with Singer and his thought that animals can suffer. Prejudice is morally unacceptable, whether it is based on

The study of good and bad, right and wrong, moral principles or value held by a person or society, promoting human welfare, maximizing freedom minimizing pain and suffering is called ethics. The discipline that studies the moral relationship of human beings and also the value and moral status of the environment and its non-human contents is called environmental ethics. It considers the ethical relationship between the humans and the environment. Animal and animal rights are the highlighted topic in the environmental ethics.

In our world, protests occur each day on the issues of animal cruelty and human rights, but when the issues are put together which will reign over the other? The author Peter Singer of “All Animals are Equal” and “Tools for Research” presents his argument for determining when animal experiments are justified. The author starts his paper with a counter argument, questioning if one would be willing to let thousands of people die if those people could be saved by experimentation on a single animal. The answer is a unanimous no; in our culture we value human life over everything else. The author follows by asking the reader if they would be prepared to carry out their experiments on humans who are mentally retarded or orphaned babies, if that

In regards to animals, the issue of rights and whether they exist becomes a touchy subject. In the essay, “Nonhuman Animal Rights: Sorely Neglected,” author Tom Regan asserts that animals have rights based upon inherent value of experiencing subjects of a life. Regan’s argument will first be expressed, later explained, and evaluated in further detail. Lastly, that fact that Regan thinks rights are harbored under the circumstance of being an experiencing subject of a life will also be discussed in terms of the incapacitated, etc.