Animal rights are rights given to animals that allow them to live a life without ill-treatment and corporate exploitation. PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk has said, “When it comes to pain, love, joy, loneliness, and fear, a rat is a pig is a dog is a boy. Each one values his or her life and fights the knife”(). I agree that animals should have compassion shown towards them, as they have a life worth living. At the same time, I don't believe that an animal's…
Animals and humans were created to coexist on this earth and therefore should receive fair treatment. Many cannot fathom the idea of initiating legal rights for animals. Some may even perceive it as absurd to dedicate and focus time on non-human animals. The main problem is that humans have advanced significantly, establishing a complex intellect that other species lack. Humans possess many capabilities that are distinct from those of others.…
Animals deserve rights because just like humans, they feel excruciating pain, suffer and have feelings. One would argue that animals don’t experience emotions? But the answer is of course they do. It is emotions that allow animals to display various behavior patterns. According to the theory of utilitarianism, all sentient beings should be given consideration in the society and this includes both animals and humans. Also, animals cannot speak for themselves and for this reason they should be treated equally, protected and given the same respect as human beings. Peter singer’s approach also supports the argument on equal consideration in that animals deserve the same respect as human beings but just in a different view. In today’s society humans exploit animals for milk, meat, fur, scientific experimentation etc. and animals are constantly injured or killed. Their pain and sufferings should be taken into consideration, as this unjust treatment is morally unacceptable. Similarly speciesism is an…
I believe that animals are very similar to we humans, they feel and have emotions, thus they shouldn’t be mistreated or abused, rather be treated with love and respect. It was on this belief that the ASPCA was founded in 1866. The first anti-cruelty law was passed after their founding. “…..I have developed a deep respect for animals. I consider them fellow living creatures with certain rights that should not be violated any more than those of humans.” (Stewart)…
In "The Case for Animal Rights," Tom Regan writes about his beliefs regarding animal rights. Regan states the animal rights movement is committed to a number of goals, including: "the total abolition of the use of animals in science; the total dissolution of commercial animal agriculture; and the total elimination of commercial and sport hunting and trapping. Regan goes on and tells us the "fundamental wrong is the system that allows us to view animals as our resources, here for us--to be eaten, or surgically manipulated, or exploited for sport or money." Once people accept this view of animals being here for our resources, they believe what harms the animal doesn't really matter. Regan explains that in order to have this changed, people must change their beliefs. If enough people, especially people that hold a public office, change their beliefs, there can be laws made to protect the rights of animals.…
The dilemma of giving animals rights similar to those that humans retain is a highly disputed issue. Philosophers, politicians, and many others have fought for animal rights for years without success. Animal rights is a very delicate issue that questions animal intelligence, activist groups, and the good and bad in granting animals their rights. The article Animals are Persons Too, by Maureen Nandini Mitra, mentions the goal of a group named the NhRP led by biopsychologist…
Animal cruelty is a very severe issue. It happens all over the world, it can happen to any kind of animal, A farm animal, a pet, or even a wildlife animal. People tend to think that animals can be treated in a bad way because they aren’t “humans.” An animal is supposed to be treated as anyone would be treated in a good way and respectfully, they do have feelings just like we all do. Although animals aren’t human beings we all have the right to be treated equally. Animal abusers should be punished in a very serious manner; there should be consequences for mistreating an animal.…
Tom Regan wrote, “The case for animal rights” to people who do not value animals. This is valid because they are living beings. Imagine if we used humans in the place of animals. Regan goes on to tell us the “fundamental wrong is the system that allows us to view animals as our resources, here for us-to be eaten, or surgically manipulated, or exploited for money” (Regan 673). People except animals being our resources, but are callous to what these animals have to go through. Regan believes people should change their beliefs in order for this to come to an end. Our treatment of animals is erroneous. Even though animals may not have human rights, they still are significant to the world. If enough people change their…
Animals from creation have been an essential integral part of human beings. They have frequently been, either directly or indirectly, used by humans to achieve their needs. Hence they are important part and great asset to humans. These animals do have lives different from that of humans and equally have some similar characteristics with humans like emotional feelings. This very fact puts humans in a difficult position of determining the amount of respect and regard that should be accorded to the animals. Some people agitate that animals should be granted same equal rights as human beings. Inasmuch as I quite agree that animals should be granted some rights in order to be free from cruel treatments by humans, the issue of granting them equal full rights as enjoyed by humans should not come up. An objective review of such factors as tradition, cultural believes, religious, socio-economic, and medical as well as salient natural features that distinguish animals from humans like morality, and ability to…
Animals should not have rights also because animals don’t respect our rights. As humans if one…
Animal Rights is the affection and kind treatment offered to every animal without discrimination. Animal Rights involves treating animals with respect and investing in their best interests, regardless if the animal is “cute” or useful to humans.vi The importance of Animal Rights is to protect animals from being abused and exploited. Animal Rights also protects endangered species from extinction. According to Tom Regan, “Animal Rights is to treat humans and other…
Many people feel that animals have no rights and are here solely for our use.…
Now in my opinion, I believe that animals should have an official “Bill of Rights”. They have emotions and show signs of intelligence. I believe that we need to draft a legal “Bill of Rights” for animals. Simple laws should be, and already are, in place to protect animals to some extent but there is more that could be done. Currently, the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) remains the only federal law that regulates the treatment of animals [1]. I believe that the AWA is enough protection for animals, we don’t need additional legislation on top of this and similar…
Determining the rights of non-human animals and deciding how to treat them may not be a choice available to our human society. As an advocate for the rights of animals, Tom Reganʻs three main goals are to abandon the use of animals in any scientific research, discontinue all commercial animal agriculture, and to completely terminate both commercial and sport animal hunting. To support these intentions, Regan argues that every human and non-human animal possesses inherent value, which makes them all more than a physical object or vessel. He then states that possessing inherent value allows every human and non-human to have rights of their own. To further his argument, Regan claims that the any human and non-human retaining rights requires equal treatment and respect from others. To conclude his argument, Regan states that due to these reasons, non-human animals cannot be treated as resources and must be treated by humans as equals. In this paper, I object to Reganʻs third premise, which states that non-human and human animals must be treated as equals and with respect, because our communication barrier with non-human animals restricts us from determining their notion of equal treatment or respect, and that attempting to do so could…
When looking at the differences between appearance and reality, it relates back to something called metaphysics. Metaphysics is the part of philosophy that is concerned with the basic causes and nature. For instance, the appearance of the size of the sun from an observer on the ground is not the actual size of the sun but rather a derivative formed by the spectator from the ground. People on a daily basis try and distinguish the difference between reality and appearances. This can go from being as simple and basic as looking a rainbow or watching a person do a magic trick. People are constantly trying to solve what they are truly seeing. Basically, appearances are more likely to be misleading when compared to reality, which exists regardless of whether or not it is actually being observed by someone. According to Plato, knowledge is reality and opinion relates to the appearance of reality. The ways in which people…