- Next use of animals we'll discuss: biomedical research (Fri & Mon)
- Reading just first 12 pages of Singer's 75 page chapter, but will discuss more Fri
- Paper plan is due Friday
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Gary Francione & Anna Charlton, "The Case Against Pets" (Aeon)
Wikipedia definition
Pet action plan
- What's his ethical framework?
- What is he saying about pets?
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Complaints about Peter Singer
- Singer--supports reforms of factory farming--based on equal consideration of interests, utilitarianism--not rights
- Francione--supports rights for animals
- a right is a "shield" protecting an animal's fundamental interests; a right "protects interests irrespective of consequences"
- animals have "a moral right not to be used as resources, irrespective of whether the treatment is 'humane'..."
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One primary right
- "the right not to be property" (F&C p. 3)
- being treated as property is the root cause of all ill-treatment
- we have some animal protection laws, but they are ineffective (next time we'll be looking at these laws)
- you can ask vet to euthanize a healthy animal you own
- animal farming practices incentivized by ownership
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Conventional wisdom
- You could reach some of the same conclusions from a simple, obvious premise
- "We should not impose unnecessary suffering and death on animals"
- Many people believe that when thinking about dog fighting (Michael Vick), bull fighting, maybe rodeos, etc. but....
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The argument so far
- All animals have the right not to be property, we should stop exploiting animals
- People who agree: Tom Regan, Donaldson & Kymlicka
- D&K: pets and former livestock should become citizens
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No more domesticated animals!
Need to understand domestication better....
Wikipedia definition
- "Domestication is a multi-generational mutualistic relationship in which an animal species, such as humans...takes over control and care of another species, such as sheep...to obtain from them a steady supply of resources, such as meat, milk, or labor. The process is gradual and geographically diffuse... Domestication affected genes for behavior in animals, making them less aggressive...Such changes both make domesticated organisms easier to handle and reduce their ability to survive in the wild... not to be confused with taming."
- Examples -- here -- video
- the grey wolf (canis lupus) --> dogs (canis lupus familiaris)
- domesticated 14,000 years ago
- African wild cats (felis sylvestris lybica) --> house cats (felis sylvestris catus)
- domesticated 10,000 years ago
- Not domestication
- Keeping a wild animal in captivity
- Taming a wild animal
- breeding
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| NYT article |
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Impoverished
- Because of the way they ARE, not just because of the way we TREAT them
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| F&C p. 12 |
- wild ancestors of cats and dogs: self-sufficient, skilled, fearful, avoid humans
- domesticated animals: docile, helpless, dependent, don't fear humans, can "read" humans, want our attention and praise, love us, can be obedient, like perpetual children
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| Would you rather be reborn as a wolf or a chihuahua? |
Pet action plan
- adopt, protect, animals who already exist--stop treating like property
- support sanctuaries for farm animals: P'nuts animal sanctuary, Copilot animal rescue
- don't breed more, spay and neuter
D&K's goal F&C's goal
