Relational Animal Ethics: Care and Ecofeminism

AGENDA

1. Temple Grandin (last post)
2. Module 4: the big picture
3. Lori Gruen

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Lori Gruen 

We are reading two chapters from Entangled Empathy (2014)

Later: an article on captivity

Gruen, annotated

Chapter 1

What's wrong with contemporary ethics?

1. Look at Singer argument on p. 1
2. What are her objections to this type of argument?

What's wrong with contemporary animal ethics?  

Focus on SAMENESS

    Peter Singer 

1. Human interests count just as much, regardless of race and regardless of gender. (based on principle of equality)
2. Animals have interests too and are not relevantly different (SAMENESS).  Therefore,
3. Animal interests count just as much, regardless of species.

    Tom Regan

1. People have inherent value and and basic rights regardless of intellectual capacity.
2. This must be because they're all "subjects of a life."
3. But just like these humans, animals are "subjects of a life" too (SAMENESS).  Therefore,
4. Animals also have inherent value and basic rights.

What's left out when ethicists focus on sameness?

Gruen's animal ethics: particularism, no general moral principles, care ethics, entangled empathy

Real world problem: evacuating animals before/after a hurricane

1. Demoters--only humans really count, no animal rescue (Katrina, New Orleans 2005)
2. Humane demoters--should allow animal rescue so humans will leave (Ike, Houston 2008)
3. Singer and Regan--should rescue animals based on equality (Singer) or rights (Regan)
4. Gruen--should evacuate animals--"entangled empathy" should be guide (next post)

            Animal rescue tweet