An Analysis Of Ill-Gotten Gains, By Tom Regan
analytical Essay
727 words
The essay “Ill-gotten Gains” first appeared in a book called ‘Health Care Ethics’ and was written by Tom Regan who is a renowned philosopher, author and animal rights advocate. The essay appeared again in Tom Regan’s best known book called ‘The Case for Animal Rights’ which states Regan’s beliefs regarding animal rights and provides a sound argument as to why animals should not be exploited for our own gain. Tom Regan believes all animal use that benefits humans is morally unacceptable including for food, entertainment, labour, experiments and research. “Ill-gotten Gains” argues that to be on the right moral path we need to view all individuals with inherent value as a ‘subject of a life’. Regan argues that any practice in which a ‘subject of a life’ is used as a resource is immoral, not because of emotion, but because of reason. Any individual with a sense of a future, awareness and purpose is considered to be a ‘subject of a life’ and has equal inherent value. Regan also takes time to explore the argument that humans have souls while animals do not. The fictional story at the beginning of the article is an extremely effective technique to engage the reader. I instantly felt outraged “Animals of different ages, sexes, developmental stages, and of different health status can all respond differently to experimental treatments. It is no surprise, then, that humans respond differently to administered pharmaceuticals than other animals” (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine).Thalidomide being the most well known example was a drug sold between 1957 and 1961 and was marketed towards pregnant women and was said to relieve morning sickness, stress and to help them sleep. The drug was tested thoroughly on mice, with no ill eff... ... middle of paper ... ...nimal rights yet I do question myself where to draw the line. I do not condone violence or harm against animals, yet I shudder at the thought of a mice plague and feel saddened by the extinction of our native animals by ‘feral’ or pest species. Is it right to kill one species to save another? I am appalled by the idea of ‘circus’ animals yet I will attend the horse races every summer for my entertainment. I think Tom Regan’s argument and reasoning for animal rights was extremely effective at making whoever is reading the essay question his or her own moral standards. Reading the essay made me delve into my own beliefs, morals and values which I think is incredibly important. To form new attitudes as a society it is important we start questioning how we view the lives of others, do we see animals as a resource to be exploited or as equals with rights just like we do?
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes the essay "ill-gotten gains" by tom regan, a renowned philosopher, author, and animal rights advocate.
- Explains that humans respond differently to experimental treatments, such as thalidomide, flencofenac, and penicillin. there are many alternatives to using animals for research.
- Opines that tom regan's argument and reasoning for animal rights was extremely effective at making whoever is reading the essay question his or her own moral standards.
Related
- analytical
- opinion
- explanatory
- Peter Singer, And Tom Regan, Peter Singer And Aldo Leopoldanalytical essayAs an advocate of animal rights, Tom Regan presents us with the idea that animals deserve to be treated with equal respect to humans. Commonly, we view our household pets and select exotic animals in different regard as oppose to the animals we perceive as merely a food source which, is a notion that animal rights activists
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes human obligation pertaining to all that is not man-made, apart from humans. environmentally ethical ideals hold a broad spectrum of perspectives that, not only attempt to identify problems, but also focus on how that problem is addressed.
- Analyzes how tom regan influenced the animal rights movement, arguing that animals deserve to be treated with equal respect to humans. his veganism answer is valid in developing a more ethical treatment of our animal friends.
- Analyzes how peter singer's edgier approach to environmental ethics harmonizes with utilitarianism. he believed that one born to pain and suffrage could not reach such pleasure.
- Analyzes how aldo leopold considered the causes and effects within the ecosystem, referred to as ecocentrism. he understood that each natural character nurtured another, hence, his biotic pyramid.
- Opines that we must take in every perspective to be ethical in our approach. with contributions by tom regan, peter singer, and aldo leopold, we begin to develop an educated and informed response in attending to our moral duties.
- Explains that animal rights philosopher tom regan appeared on the late late show part 1 of 4. mitchell, helen. roots of wisdom.
- Explains singer, peter, a companion to ethics. oxford, uk: john wiley and sons, inc.
1133 wordsRead More - Animal Rights Essayanalytical essayAnimal rights have unequivocally been a major concern amongst humans for some time now. Animal rights are based on the notion that non-human animals should be allowed to live freely: free from abuse and suffering, as humans are. The extreme issue amongst humans is whether or not non-human animals have the capacity for rationality to deserve such equal consideration. When examining the issue of animal rights, one may have come to question one’s psyche on whether or not animal rights are ethical.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that animal rights are based on the notion that non-human animals should be allowed to live freely, free from abuse and suffering, as humans are.
- Explains aristotle's view of happiness as a physical pleasure or honor, which is misinterpreted because people are deficient in virtue. happiness is public, not private, so who we share it with is of great significance.
- Analyzes how plutarch argued that animals deserve ethical rights because they possess a conscious and are rational creatures and that non-human animals have intellectual traits, interests, and desires that deserve respect from mankind.
- Analyzes how david degrazia proposes his views on the moral status of animals in taking animals seriously: mental life and moral status.
- Analyzes how tom regan's the case for animal rights is the most intricate piece arguing for rights for non-human animals.
- Argues that some animal species understand the concept of "justice" and live by it.
- Argues that animals should be allowed to have a "negative right" not be harmed, even if they cannot claim "rights" because of any intellectual traits.
- Analyzes how steven m. wise argued for what one could strongly consider the final phase in the argument for justice for animals.
1660 wordsRead More - Animal Rights: The Abolitionist Approach?analytical essayAlmost all humans want to have possession and control over their own life, they want the ability to live independently without being considered someone’s property. Many people argue that animals should live in the same way as humans because animals don’t have possession of their lives as they are considered the property of humans. An article that argues for animal rights is “The case against pets” (2016) by Francione and Charlton. Gary L Francione and Anna E Charlton are married and wrote a book together, “Animal Rights: The Abolitionist Approach (2015). Francione is a law professor at Rutgers University and an honorary professor at University of East Anglia. Charlton is also a law professor at Rutgers University and she is the co-founder of the Rutgers Animal Rights Law Clinic. In this article Francione and Charlton mainly focus on persuading people to believe in animal rights but only focus on one right, the right of animals not to be property. The article is written in a well-supported manner with a lot of details and examples backing it up, but a few counter-arguments can be made against some of their arguments.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the article argues for animal rights in which s mainly focus on one right, the right of animals not to be property.
- Analyzes how francione and charlton argue against the controversial wisdom about animals and towards animals not being property.
- Analyzes how francione and charlton's article "the case against pets" (2016) persuade the rights of animals not to be property. s argue their points well but can have counter-arguments against some points.
- Analyzes how gary l francione and anna e charlton's article argues for animal rights and the misconceptions people have towards the property of domesticated animals.
1030 wordsRead More - Final Essay: Animal Ethics in Animal Narrativesanalytical essayAs I have progressed through this class, my already strong interest in animal ethics has grown substantially. The animal narratives that we have read for this course and their discussion have prompted me to think more deeply about mankind’s treatment of our fellow animals, including how my actions impact Earth’s countless other creatures. It is all too easy to separate one’s ethical perspective and personal philosophy from one’s actions, and so after coming to the conclusion that meat was not something that was worth killing for to me, I became a vegetarian. The trigger for this change (one that I had attempted before, I might add) was in the many stories of animal narratives and their inseparable discussion of the morality in how we treat animals. I will discuss the messages and lessons that the readings have presented on animal ethics, particularly in The Island of Doctor Moreau, The Dead Body and the Living Brain, Rachel in Love, My Friend the Pig, and It Was a Different Day When They Killed the Pig. These stories are particularly relevant to the topic of animal ethics and what constitutes moral treatment of animals, each carrying important lessons on different facets the vast subject of animal ethics.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the stories of animal narratives and their inseparable discussion of the morality in how we treat animals have prompted them to think more deeply about mankind's treatment of fellow animals.
- Analyzes how h.g. wells' the island of doctor moreau focuses on the grisly and disturbing topic of vivisection.
- Analyzes how oriana fallaci's the dead body and the living brain is another work on the topic of vivisection, though it is not one of fiction.
- Analyzes how chimpanzees like libby are used in experiments because of their similarity to humans, physically, genetically, and, as rachel in love portrays, mentally.
- Analyzes how hudson's my friend the pig is a reflection on how humans treat our livestock destined for the slaughterhouse.
- Analyzes how joo ubaldo riberio's it was a different day when they killed the pig continues on the subject of animals as livestock.
- Opines that animal narratives are unique in their ability to allow the reader to experience these stories vicariously through the perspective of the animal.
1567 wordsRead More - Callicott, J. Baird. “Animal Liberation: A Triangular Affair” in Environmental Ethics edited by Robert Elliot. Oxford University Press, New York. 1995. p. 52-63.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how mark sagoff and peter singer's "animal liberation and environmental ethics: bad marriage, quick divorce" seem to ignore a fundamental defining characteristic of animals, namely their level of domestication.
- Explains that ecosystems and species competed and selected for/against each other, causing evolutionary change. j. baird callicott's extension of aldo leopold’s land ethic addresses a possible ethic toward wild and domestic animals, but doesn't examine why we should treat them differently.
- Argues that domestic animals should be treated as best we can while preserving their evolutionary and ecological entitlements to a good life and potential consumption by humans.
- Argues that a human community ethic could apply to domestic animals, since together we've evolved into an ecological predator-prey system that has just some residual nature in it.
- Explains that pre-historically, there was a natural order of life where species and ecosystems operated on competition, adaptation, and natural selection.
- Explains that humans started a process of domestication sometime in our evolutionary history, not only of animals, but also of plants and the landscape.
- Analyzes how j. baird callicott extends leopold's thoughts in "the land ethic" and "animal liberation: a triangular affair".
- Argues that callicott's interpretation of the land ethic suits the question of ethics toward wild animals, but the assumptions he makes about domestic animals simplify too much.
- Cites callicott, j. baird and leopold, aldo. "the land ethic" in environmental ethics edited by david schmidtz and elizabeth willott.
3017 wordsRead More - On Animal experimentsanalytical essayMost people would agree that animals have some kind of moral status. This presents a shift of view from past that animals had no moral status and respecting them was merely for protecting human property. Today, this question has evolved to how much moral status and what right animals have. (HOPES, 2010)
In this essay, the author
- Explains that many institutions use animal experiments to develop a new product or test the safety of medicines. the moral status of animals and the benefit are highly controversial parts of the concern.
- Opines that both sides of the question seem reasonable, but there are some faults in the statement. supporters of animal experiment consider animals inferior because they have no cognitive abilities.
- Explains that people have a biased view on moral status of animals. judging animals on their cognitive abilities is unjustified because of two reasons: one should not be judged by certain kinds of skill; some intelligence-challenged human, which may not have superior ability, are not considered subjects.
- Argues that animals have the same moral status as humans and that they deserve exact same treatment. they argue that granting animals less moral is simply a prejudice or "speciesism".
- Explains that animal experimentation is acceptable if the suffering for animals is minimized, refine the equipment so that animals would suffer less, and replace animal experiments by using alternative techniques.
- Describes the ethical aspects of animal experimentation, and narrates how hopes, neavs and stevens, a. and j.
665 wordsRead More - Nonhuman Animal Rightsanalytical essayIn regards to animals, the issue of rights and whether they exist becomes a touchy subject. In the essay, “Nonhuman Animal Rights: Sorely Neglected,” author Tom Regan asserts that animals have rights based upon inherent value of experiencing subjects of a life. Regan’s argument will first be expressed, later explained, and evaluated in further detail. Lastly, that fact that Regan thinks rights are harbored under the circumstance of being an experiencing subject of a life will also be discussed in terms of the incapacitated, etc.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how tom regan asserts that animals have rights based upon inherent value of experiencing subjects of a life.
- Analyzes how regan positively argues that both human and nonhuman individuals are experiencing subjects of a life. one's usefulness isn't an issue, and they have an equal right to be treated with respect.
- Analyzes regan's claim that both human and nonhuman individuals are experiencing subjects of a life.
- Analyzes how regan believes that an individual has an inherent value, a basic right that is equal amongst individuals.
- Analyzes how regan makes a comparison between the brain surgeon and the fruit vendor to show that certain individuals may have different abilities, talents, or skills, while also concluding that each is an experiencing subject of life with inherent value that is equal.
- Argues that if rights are denounced, one is being acted on immorally and unethically. regan believes that all experiencing subjects of a life have equal inherent value that asserts that said being has rights.
- Analyzes how regan argues that animals have/should have rights because of having inherent value since they are experiencing subjects of a life, but forgot to reciprocate his argument in the eyes of the opposition.
1245 wordsRead More - Animals Rights and Religion Analysisopinion essayRegan begins the essay by stating that " Not a few of people regard the animal rights position as extreme, calling, as it does, for the abolition of certain well-entrenched social practices rather than for their “humane” reform " ( Regan 619 ) . The writer also compares animal rights with humans based on extreme moral positions, such as rape, child pornography and racial discrimination, claiming that “. . . when an injustice is absolute, as is true of each of the example just cited, then one must oppose it absolute. It is not reformed, more humane child pornography than an enlightened ethic calls for: it is abolition that is required “(Regan 620). The writing is totally against hunting animals for sport, dressing in animal skins, and breeding of animals for slaughter. In his view any animal sacrifice is no different from a crime perpetuated a human being. Sacrifice any animal should stimulate the same emotional reaction that a crime a human being. This belief is considered by many as a vision "extremist” of animal rights and generally not widely accepted.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes tom regan's essay 'religion and animal rights', in which he argues that animals are "subjects-of-a-life" like humans. christian theology has brought unbridled land on the brink of an ecological catastrophe
- Analyzes how regan compares animal rights with human rights based on extreme moral positions, such as rape, child pornography, and racial discrimination.
- Opines that it's hard for them to read this essay and don't agree at least with most of what the writer states. they are aware of the great diseases brought to the world and the need to find solutions.
- Opines that the world is divided between those in accordance with the rights of animals and those who do not.
- Argues that religion and animal protection are not incompatible philosophies, but rather the contrary. the church defends the ideas of christianity most original, saying men should be at peace with the kingdom of the earth.
- Explains that animals are not made in the image and likeness of god, or do not have an immortal soul. islam and judaism believe in reincarnation religions such as egyptian, greek, hindu, buddhist and roman.
- Explains that children's literature product dead animals go to heaven. that heaven is understood as pet’s sky or heaven if cat kittens, including humans shared sky.
- Opines that vegetarianism is a religion that accepts eats animals. if you mistreat animals, you break with divine harmony. farms experiment with hormones to create super-production.
- Explains why god's original diet for men and women at creation was vegetables, nuts, grains, and fruits, but later allowed humans to eat the flesh of certain animals.
- Opines that modern science is backing up what the bible says about a healthful diet with scientific evidence and statistics.
- Opines that animals feel pain, and christians accept them. four major religious movements promote compassion, love and respect for animals, but the faithful don't always respect these provisions.
1223 wordsRead More - animal experimentation: pros and consexplanatory essayDrugs that pass for animals will not necessarily be safe for humans. "The 1950s sleeping pill thalidomide, which caused 10,000 babies to be born with severe deformities, was tested on animals prior to its commercial release." This is a good example of why animals do not have the same reaction of humans, demonstrating that it may cause problems with the humans health. Statistics have shown...
In this essay, the author
- Opines that animal experimentation is not as good as it may seem to humans because we are not feeling it. it is cruel to animals to experience this. many experts say is the only way to make new medicine, but you have to think about the animal.
- Explains that animal experimentation is the infliction of pain onto animals to see their reaction. humans use animals because they don't want to experience this ourselves.
- Explains that a rabbit has the exact same reaction as humans, which could be wasting an animal's life and potentially disabling it for its life.
- Explains that drugs that pass for animals will not necessarily be safe for humans. the 1950s sleeping pill thalidomide was tested on animals prior to its commercial release.
- Explains that people go against animal testing because animals can feel pain just like us. it's racist to animals, and discriminates them as less than human.
- Explains that scientists aren't using humans on experiments because they're inhuman, which is different from using animals.
- Opines that animal testing is inhuman and not cheap. long-term experiments will increase the cost of animal care, and it's not just a one-hour experiment.
- Opines that there is no proof that animals are needed for anything. medical research has shown that we are far enough in technology to use alternate subjects to test on other than animals and humans.
- Explains that most animals, once in captivity, are no just let go after the experiments. they are killed after being tested, which is what animal rights activists are fighting to stop.
- Opines that animal testing has many pros and cons, including a cure for diabetes. if we had not tested on animals, how would we have found insulin to help people live longer?
- Explains that it's harder to find the cure for a sickness if you can't test on something that can carry it, and has the same effects as humans.
- Explains that animals share 99% of genes that humans have, so they are worthy test subjects. without animals, we will probably never advance in technologies today.
- Explains that animal testing benefits humans for cures and technologies, but it also helps animals. millions of animals could have died if it weren't for animal tests.
- Explains that animal testing is regulated, and there are laws to protect the animals from unnecessary harm. all proposals to testing on animals must be approved by iacuc.
- Opines that if animals had rights, all humans would be forced to become vegetarians, and all hunting in any country that gives them rights.
- Opines that if animal testing was outlawed, everyone would have to stop eating animals.
- Explains that many religions allow animal testing to specific animals if not most of them. the bible states that humans have more power over animals.
- Opines that their opinion on animal experimentation is split between the two answers. there are many factors that split their decision on which would be more beneficial to humankind.
- Opines that animal experimentation is not the best thing for animals, and can be cruel in many ways.
- Opines that animal experimentation has brought us so far, and without it, we would not be where we are today.
1548 wordsRead More - Frey, R.G. "All Animals Are Not Equal."Animal Rights:Opposing Viewpoints. Leone,Bruno, Series Ed. San Diego, CA. Greenhouse Press.1996.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that penicillin is lethal to guinea pigs, deactivates the blood system of rabbits and is deadly to cats. scientists are pushing for more experiments regardless of the cost to the animal's life.
- Argues that animals suffering in experimentation labs are just and cruel to animals. it is wrong to harm an innocent animal of any wrong doing, when the animal doesn't know right from wrong
- Explains that charles fried claims physical harm as an impingement upon the body which either causes pain or impairs functioning. many animals experience pain, and sometimes death, during lab experiments.
- Defines vivisection as an invasive experiment performed on an animal for the purpose of scientific research, product testing or education.
- Opines that animal experiments are wrong because of the repulsive pain of electrodes planted in chimps' brains, and the tortured raccoon's death.
- Explains that more than five billion dollars of federal tax revenue are spent annually on animal research. animals, like the rest of nature, were understood not to have any sort of value except to bring enjoyment to lives.
- Explains that scientists test products on animals to see if they are safe. many companies use tests such as the draize test and the ld-50.
- Explains that draize test is used to measure the harmfulness of chemicals found in household products and cosmetics, by observing the damage they cause to the eyes and skin of animals.
- Explains that the lethal dose 50 test kills half of the test group. the animals that didn't die are killed.
- Explains that even with testing that the animal goes through, a reliable prediction is impossible to ascertain. pain is not the only side effect of experiments; psychological effects occur too.
- Opines that there should be ways to undo experiments that do not involve animals. if animal testing were to stop overall, would the research end?
- Explains that with in vitro (test tube) technologies, scientists can do chemical assay tests, tissue culture systems, cell and organ cultures, cloned human skin cells, mathematical models, and human volunteers.
- Opines that all wild animals have the right to liberty in their natural environment, whether land, air, or water, and should be allowed to procreate. depravation of freedom is an infringement of an animals right.
- Opines that animals were on this land before humans, so they have a right to be treated equally. if scientists keep on experimenting with animals, they may go extinct.
- Explains that animal experimentation is not justified. animal rights:opposing viewpoints. leone,bruno, san diego, ca. greenhouse press.
955 wordsRead More