The moral status of animals: comparing deontological and consequentialist views on livestock farming

Authors: Watt E
Publication: Proceedings of the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) Annual Conferences, Volume 2014 AVA Annual Conference, Perth, Issue Sheep / Welfare, May 2014
Publisher: Australian Veterinary Association

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Abstract: The place of animals in human society is central to veterinary ethics. The views of philosophers, who have long debated the welfare and rights of non-humans, provide an essential background for this conversation. In this paper, I will discuss the status of animals according to two overarching philosophical theories: deontological ethics and consequentialism. I will outline the views of two classical theorists from both schools of thought, Immanuel Kant and Jeremy Bentham respectively. I will then look at how two modern philosophers, Tom Regan and Peter Singer, have applied these ethical frameworks to animals in second half of the twentieth century.

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