Essay What Moral and Ethical Obligations do Humans Have to...

The exponential rise in earth’s human population since the industrial revolution has put a heightened pressure on food production word wide. The global population reached approximately 7.2 billion in 2013 (United Nation News Centre, 2013) and consequentially the requirement for eggs and poultry has also substantially increased (Pluhar, 2010). As a result of this elevated demand for food, there has been a shift in the way agricultural practices operate to produce the large quantities of meat and eggs necessary to feed the population. The intensive farming method of animal husbandry has become quite a controversial issue and caused apprehension amongst many different factions of society. These concerns relate to how high density farming†¦show more content†¦Aristotle views describe a certain pecking order amongst biotic organisms within the natural world. This idea of a pecking order is determined by the abilities present in an organism due to its nature. Aristotle argu ed that despite plants, animals and humans all being capable of subsistence and flourishing, only humans and animals have the capacity for cognizance. Aristotle therefore reasoned that plants are at the bottom of the pecking order and therefore there purpose is to serve the needs of those higher in the hierarchy. As part of this ideology he theorised that since humans have the endowment of conscious reasoning whilst animals are solely reliant upon instincts, human beings are consequentially superior to non-human animals. Aristotle claimed therefore that it seemed justifiable that the purpose of animals is to serve the needs of humans (Regan and Singer, 1989). Others share similar thoughts to Aristotle and contend that moral obligations are determined by the capabilities of an organism. Immanuel Kant developed a highly influential moral theory which suggested that a being must be autonomous in order for its â€Å"interests to count in the moral assessment of actions† (Kant, 1956). He also subscribed to the belief that it was the attributes which human beings possess and animals don’t have that rationalises awarding human beings a distinct moral status while withholding any moral status at all from animals. These principals underpin the view that humansShow MoreRelatedAnimal Cruelty Every year, the RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) takes1200 Words   |  5 PagesAnimal Cruelty Every year, the RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) takes in close to 50,000 reports of animal mistreatment in Australia and about 150,000 in England and in Wales (RSPCA, 2013). However, these figures do not include the cases when mistreatment is not reported which, according to the RSPCA, happens almost as often as the ones recorded (RSPCA, 2013). Maltreatment occurs when an animal is tormented or harmed, imprisoned or transported from one place to anotherRead MoreA Change Of Heart About Animals950 Words   |  4 PagesAnimals have similar characteristics to humans in terms of their physical and psychological states, thus we have a moral obligation to free them from unnecessary pain. More ethical alternatives to animal testing are more cost-effective, quicker and more reliable. Contrary to what we might think, animals share similar characteristics with us in terms of their physical and psychological states. Jeremy Rifkin, author of twenty books on the impact of scientific and technological changes on the societyRead MoreThe Four Primary Ethical Principles1293 Words   |  6 PagesThe Four Primary Ethical Principles in Human Research Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes (Feldman, 2013, p.5). The simplistic definition is actual very complex, as it includes a persons thought, emotions, perceptions, reasoning process, memories, and their biological activates that maintain their bodily functions (Feldman, 2013, p.5). Psychologists use the scientific method in order to describe, predict, and explain human behavior (Feldman, 2013, p.5). This is doneRead MoreEvil, Moral, And Moral Justice1370 Words   |  6 Pages It is not ethical to keep a person dead or alive locked up in a barn with no way to escape. I believe that if my family were transformed into zombies I would have no moral obligations towards them. The first issue of zombies is determining if they are alive or dead. If they are rational beings that follow a set of moral code that is that they are moral agents that can demonstrate a capacity of morality .The other option is that they are moral patients who are not rational or moral. Since zombiesRead MoreThe Land Ethic By Aldo Leopold1055 Words   |  5 PagesPersonifying the Land â€Å"We can be ethical only in relation to something we can see, feel, understand, love, or otherwise have faith in†- Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac (251) Aldo Leopold is on the forefather of modern environmentalism. His book, A Sand County Almanac, is based on the notion of viewing land as a community and as a commodity. In the chapter â€Å"The Land Ethic†, Leopold invokes a rethinking of our relationships to our world and is based on the principle that ethics are â€Å"a processRead MoreAnimals Used in Research1458 Words   |  6 PagesThe topic that I am choosing to examine for my paper is about animals that are used in research and the rights they they do or do not have. The reason that I chose this particular topic is because that it is a topic that is very significant to me. I am currently going to Delaware technical Community College to become a Veterinary technician. My lifelong dream has always been to help and save animals, Any creature great or small animals used in research, mistreated, neglected and abused is not somethingRead MoreThe Ethical Treatment of Animals Essay539 Words   |  3 Pagesbelieve in the ethical treatment for all animals is an ethical obligation by all humans. We have come to an era that we believe that all humans should be treated equally and fairly. Well, what about our other living, breathing counterparts? They deserve to live their life as they choose in quality and in the pursuit of happiness. Just as Europeans came and took over Northern Americas land and resources on the Indians. We have also taken over the land and resources from all of the animals. TheRead MoreShelby Bryant . Professor Brandon Underwood. Ethics And1325 Words   |  6 Pagesdifferent forms of deontological ethical theory. Begin by explaining what their two theories have in common. Explain Kant’s categorical imperative. Pick an example and show how his position compares to Ross’ notion of prima facie obligations. Ross and Kant do represent very different forms of deontological theory although Ross did implement some aspects of Kantian deontology. Both believed there to be duties or moral obligations that we are to follow when making ethical decisions. Kant called his categoricalRead MoreThe Fight For Animal Rights1660 Words   |  7 Pagesfight for animal rights is one that has been going on for centuries. â€Å"The new emphasis upon animals feelings of sensation in the eighteenth century brought growing criticism of some forms of cruelty. Doubts about the ethics of castrating domestic animals were raised as early as 1714. (Guither, 1998, p.1) According to Guither (1998), London was the first to encourage the prevention of animal cruelty in 1824 where it eventually became the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. TheyRead MoreEthical Ethics And Normative Ethics1078 Words   |  5 PagesWhat is a right or obligation? What is good or bad? These two questions are examples o f why mete-ethics and normative ethics exist. To be able to create an environmental ethic, one must have a sense of moral conclusion. Whether these morals are categorized through self-interest or obligation, meta ethics and normative ethics try to decipher these notions. To derive a normative ethic, meta-ethics needs to explain the language of morality, and how do humans come to a consensus of specific actions and