Animal Farm Ethics

Ethical Arguments

So why is the use of animals for our own benefit generally accepted amongst society? It could be argued that some level of speciesism is being applied here, that humans often give preference to our own species over others, in the absence of morally relevant differences. It is easy to be bias against poultry, although they are vertebrates, and part of the kingdom Animalia, they do not fall into the class Mammalia, but Aves () making them distinctly different from humans. Furthermore if they were to be compared with puppies or kittens, for example, for moral status, a certain degree of favouritism would certainly be present as puppies and kittens are more aesthetically pleasing and more desirable to humans. Arguments that claim

For example a survivor on a desert island was forced to eat his human friend, but decided his friend was so delicious he wanted to grow and kill humans to satisfy his pallet, would that be morally permissible? Similarly, the argument that it is natural to eat meat fails in a similar way, as it presents moral inconsistencies. To claim that eating meat is moral because it is natural, implies that other morally questionable things that are natural should be considered moral, and unnatural things we consider moral are not so. An example of this could be the unnaturalness of certain medical treatments, such as chemo therapy, which is often lifesaving. Despite its unnaturalness most people would agree that it is morally permissible. The main issue that seems to arise here is that moral “rules” that an act is good or bad based on its naturalness, are bent to suit the convenience and desires of humanity, which again is morally inconsistent. Additionally, arguments in support of meat eating because “animals do it” are unreliable. Carnivorous and omnivorous consume other animals out of necessity in most cases, and yes there are some arguments that support meat eating for nutritional reasons, but the excessive quantity of meat produced and furthermore the amount wasted cannot compare to the

Thomas Aquinas held that if a being is unable to direct its own actions then it must be done by others; since the mentioned beings are simply instruments. These “instruments” exist as a means to an end, since animals cannot direct their own actions, they are merely instruments and exist for the sake of the human beings that direct their activities. Furthermore Descartes (1596-1650) offers a denial for animal consciousness based on the belief that animal behaviour could be described in purely mechanistic terms, and that consciousness was not necessary for these behaviours (Iep.utm.edu). However considerable research into cognition using chicks has shown that individuals persistently form associations concerning events and apply this learning to guide their behaviour (Nicol (2015). If the behaviour of chicken was to be described purely in mechanical terms, as Descartes believed it would surely involve simple acts of behaviour that did not require self awareness. Furthermore if chickens were unable to direct their own actions why would they have the ability to learn and apply the information? Moreover, if chickens are capable of operant conditioning, it shows that they can not only predict upcoming events but also control the