GROUP 3 ETHICS

BCAED-1

ACTIVITY ON UTILITARIANISM

QUESTIONS

1. State 3 different views with respect to animal liberation.

2. Should animals have moral rights? Discuss.

3. Do you agree when animals are used for the development of household products and
cosmetics, they are condemned by utilitarians. However, when they are used for medical
experimentation that they can lead to cure for a debilitating or terminal illness, they are
acceptable? Discuss.

4. Cite instances where animal rights violated (show proof/evidence). Discuss the stand of
being Utilitarian and your viewpoint.

ANSWERS

1.1.)Animals are equal candidates for moral respect, does not mean equal treatment as it does
equal consideration.

~Peter singer

Animals deserve to be treated humanely and it is our responsibility as humans to treat them
with compassion and benevolence. However, we should not treat them as humans because it
is often inhumane to do so.

2.) Animals are incapable of feeling pressure and pain blivesecause they do not have minds .

~Rene Descartes

Descartes held that animals are material automata without minds. However, this raises a
puzzle. Descartes's argument for this doctrine relies on the claims that animals lack language
and general intelligence. But these claims seem compatible with the view that animals have
minds.

3.) Animals are capable of feeling pressure and pain and are thus to be included in whatever
moral deliberation, we are to make especially, when the decision we may affect them.

~ Bentham and mil

Because they possess these abilities, it is appropriate to ascribe moral duties to agents, and to
blame them when they fail to fulfil these duties. Traditionally, philosophers who maintain
that animals have moral rights, such as the right to life, have been willing to concede that
animals are not moral agents.

2. Yes, every creature that can  feel the sensation of pain has moral rights by virtue of having
the capacity to experience pain. All animals can be in pain states, it follows that all animals
have objective moral rights. The question/argument can be articulated formally as follows:
(1) If a being can feel pain, then it has objective moral rights. (2) All animals are beings that
can feel pain. (3) Therefore, all animals have or should have moral rights. The capacity to
experience pain is taken as a sufficient condition for the possession of moral rights.

3. To our way of thinking, we disagree when animals are being used for the development of
household products and cosmetics, for we are also opposed to animal cruelty, and as what
like the utilitarian stated, why would we kill or waste animals' lives even though we’re
already aware that it can’t be beneficial to the greatest numbers of people, there are still other
alternatives like the non-animal test that are more humane, cheaper and accurate at predicting
human's reaction to product. However, in contrary to that, we agree when animals are used
for medical research because we, human, the highest form of animal in the earth, good health
is central to our happiness and human being. The used of animals in medical research is
considerable and very essential in order for the researchers to develop new drugs and
treatment, and by testing it on animals, we are able to know/ensure the risks or side effects of
a drugs, therefore, legally, all drugs have to be tested on animals for safety before they can be
used in humans. In general, even the two have advantages and disadvantages, we only agree
with the second one, the used of animals in medical experimentation for we believe that it
would be more beneficial for the greatest numbers of people.
4. 1.) Zoos or used of animals for entertainment.

Animals in zoos are forced to live in artificial, stressful, and downright boring conditions.
Removed from their natural habitats and social structures, they are confined to small,
restrictive environments that deprive them of mental and physical stimulation. While zoos
claim to provide conservation, education, and entertainment, their primary goal is to sustain
public support in order to increase profits. 

According to World Animal Protection (WAP), new of the world’s top zoos are abusing and
forcing wild animals to endure appalling suffering as they irresponsibly and routinely exploit
them for visitor entertainment. 'The show can't go on', in partnership with Change for
Animals Foundation, surveyed more than 1,200 zoos and aquariums linked to WAZA
(World Association of Zoos and Aquariums), which claims to represent 'the world’s
leading zoos and aquariums'. WAZA is the main global umbrella organization, and it is
expected to lead the way with clear animal welfare standards and guidelines for its members,
backed by robust monitoring. But through their research and field visits, they found clear
evidence that cruel and demeaning visitor attractions are taking place around the world. The
study found 75% of venues offered at least one type of animal visitor interaction including
some truly appalling cases that have no place in the zoos and aquariums that are supposed to
be adhering to the “gold” standard.

They discovered big cats in gladiator-style shows in large amphitheatres, dolphins being used
like surfboards, elephants playing basketball and clothed chimps in nappies, driving around in
scooters. All activities that would require cruel training techniques for these wild animals.
2.) Used of animals in factory farming.

According to Last Chance for Animals (LCA), 97% of the 10 billion animals tortured and
killed each are farm animals.

Factory farming is an industrial process in which animals and the products they generate are
mass produced. The animals are not seen as an individual, sentient beings with unique
physical and psychological needs but as eggs, milk, meat, leather, etc. Because factory
farming is a business, its goal is to maximize production and, consequently, profit. Since the
animals are seen as mere commodities, they are bred, fed, confined, and drugged to lay more
eggs, birth more offspring, and die with more meat on their bones.

BROILER CHICKENS

Farmers get more money for chickens with enlarged thighs and breasts. As a result, they
breed the animals to be so heavy that their bones cannot support their weight. Consequently,
the chickens have difficulty standing, and their legs often break. Like other factory farmed
animals, broiler chickens are raised in such overcrowded enclosures that they become
aggressive. To stop them from fighting with one another, their beaks and toes are cut off
without anesthetic. Some cannot eat after being "debeaked" and starve. They never breathe
fresh air but instead inhale ammonia day after day.

Diseases Common to Broiler Chickens:

 Respiratory diseases
 Bacterial infections
 Keratoconjunctivitis
 Dehydration-induced ailments
  Heart attacks
 Congestive heart failure
 Heat prostration
 Cancer
 Crippled legs

DAIRY COWS

Dairy cows live in crowded pens or barns with concrete floors. Milking machines often cut
them and cause other injuries. Some give them electrical shocks which cause extreme pain
and even death. Dairy cows are forced to produce 10 times more milk than they would
produce in nature. As a result, they experience numerous health problems.

Diseases Common to Dairy Cows:

 Mastitis (a bacterial infection of the udders)

 Bovine Leukemia Virus
 Bovine Immunodeficiency
 Johne's Disease
 Milk Fever
 Metabolic disorders, such as ketosis and laminitis
 Birth defects caused by Bovine Growth Hormone
 Udder ligament damage

Animals on factory farms have been observed to suffer from severe stress and depression
because of the conditions they are forced to live in.
According to the United Nations, the number of industrial livestock sent to slaughter each
year is equivalent to eight times the human population on planet Earth. At no other time in
history have so many animals died or suffered so much throughout their lives.

Factory farming is the main cause of animal suffering and abuse. These silent victims have
been converted into machines that generate meat, milk, and eggs. These animals are sentient
beings with a desire to live, but we take that life away.