10.05.2022

Relational Animal Ethics: Animal Categories

AGENDA
  1. Recap
  2. Donaldson & Kymlicka 

RECAP

Individualistic animal ethics--our obligations to animals depend on each individual animal's inner features.
  1. Peter Singer
  2. Tom Regan
Relational animal ethics--our obligations to animals depend on each individual animal's inner features AND ALSO on certain relationships
  1. Lori Gruen--we understand our obligations by relating to animals (entangled animals); their relationships to each other also important
  2. Clare Palmer--we have different obligations to wild and domesticated animals because we are related to them differently; we created domesticated animals and made them dependent
  3. Sue Donaldson & Will Kymlikca--today

ZOOPOLIS

Sue Donaldson & Will Kymlicka, Zoopolis: A Political Theory of Animal Rights (2011)
  • "zoopolis" means animal city


HUMAN RIGHTS 

  1. Rights based on "intrinsic moral standing" (p. 1) – enshrined in Universal Declaration of Human Rights 
    • Passport control at DFW
      international terminal

      right to life
    • right to liberty
  2. Rights based on "relationship to a particular political community" (p. 2)
    • Citizens of the US
      • right to enter the US
      • right to work here
      • right to have their interests represented by government
      • right to vote
      • right to have access to public spaces (can go there, signs are in your language)
    • Non-citizens: "tourists, foreign students, refugee claimants, business visitors or temporary workers" (p. 2)
      • have all the rights based on "intrinsic moral standing" but not all the citizenship rights
      • Two groups of non-citizens--Liminal Denizens and Foreign Nationals

D&K ARGUE FOR SAME VIEW OF ANIMALS
  1. Rights based on "intrinsic moral standing" -- e.g. right to life and liberty
    • they agree with Tom Regan that animals have rights like this
  2. Rights based on "relationship to a particular political community"
    • Animal Citizens (today)
    • Liminal Animal Denizens (Friday)
    • Animal Foreign Nationals (Friday)

ANIMAL CITIZENS
  1. Which animals?  All the domesticated animals--dogs cats, farm animals (there will be vastly fewer farm animals)


  2. Why are they citizens?
    • We brought them here, we made them dependent on us (Clare Palmer's view)
    • Francione: they are so dependent that they can't live good lives and the goal should be extinction--we will read him later
    • Domesticated animals are capable of cooperation and interaction
  3. What are the rights and responsibilities of animal citizens?
    RIGHTS OF ANIMAL CITIZENS
    1. Equal protection under the law (criminalization of harms to to animals)
    2. Emergency services (rescue from fire, floods)
    3. They should benefit from public spending (health care)
    4. Should have their "interests weighed in the design of public space and institutions" (dog parks, "relief" facilities at airports)
    5. Should have access to public spaces--
      • restaurants? (Paris, right)
      • animal cafes? (South Korea)
      • abolish leash laws?
    6. They should be socialized--no "jumping, biting, barking, defecating" (p. 6)
    7. Other?
    RESPONSIBILITIES OF ANIMAL CITIZENS
    1. They should contribute to society if they can do so without exploitation
      • Collecting manure from animals YES
      • Letting sheep graze to cut the grass YES
      • Guide dogs NO (video)
      • Sheep dogs YES
      • Shearing sheep for wool YES
      • Keeping chickens for eggs MAYBE

    Your job: comment on  (use workbook at tab)
    1. RIGHTS. Would you take something off the list? Would you add something to the list?
    2. RESPONSIBILITIES. What do you think of their assessments? What other kinds of work should animal citizens do/not do?