Animal liberation

FIELD TRIP SIGN-UP

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PRACTICE QUIZ

1. We will have 7-8 pop quizzes over the course of the semester.
2. They will be randomly scheduled 
3. The quizzes should be very easy if you have done the reading!
4. They will take various forms.
5. Your lowest quiz score will be dropped.
6. You can also drop one score based on missing class with an acceptable excuse.

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1970s -- surge of interest in treatment of animals.  During the same period...

1. The women's liberation movement
2. The civil rights movement
3. Children's liberation, The "Grey Panthers"
4. Peter Singer -- Animal Liberation
   

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Main ideas

Chapter 1 -- "All Animals Are Equal" (reading, annotated)

That's exactly what he's arguing--humans, dogs, cats, lions, puffins, rats .... all equal

(1)  What "equality" does not mean

"Equality for children" -- doesn't mean children get to vote or will be drafted during time of war

1. "equal" doesn't mean "factually just alike"
2. "equal" doesn't mean "must always be treated exactly the same"
3. "equal" doesn't mean "all rights exactly the same"

(2) What "equal" does mean

• READ passages A, B, C

The principle of equality: when A and B have the same interests, their interests should receive the same consideration, regardless of their race, sex, species, etc.

(3) When do individuals or groups come under the "principle of equality"?

• When they have interests
• And all it takes to have interests is the ability to suffer 
• Bentham understood this -- READ E, F, G

Clarification: suffering is a prerequisite for having any interests at all, but there are other interests besides avoiding suffering

(4) How (more precisely) to apply the principle of equality

• After a natural disaster people and animals "come under" the principle of equality but they may not always have exactly the same interests
• clean water 
• transport in lifeboats 
• medical attention for same injury
• evacuation with family 

Where humans are give such-and-such consideration based on their interests, and animals have the very same interest, animals should be given the same consideration.  We apportion consideration based on interests, not based on who has the interest.

(5) We are resistant to equality because of biases

1. racism
2. sexism
3. ageism
4. specieism READ D

(6)  But can animals actually suffer? (If not they don't have interests.)

• there is abundant scientific evidence that they can suffer
• absence of language is beside the point
• where to draw the line? We will discuss next week.

(7) What does "consideration" mean?

• Utilitarian approach--we should maximize total happiness, with each affected individual taken into account
• no discounting based on race, sex, species; no inflating anyone's importance based on race, sex, species
• next time: another view on what consideration means

DISCUSSION (WORKBOOK)