PHIL 1104 Chapter Notes - Chapter 18: Speciesism
Document Summary
The case for the use of animals in biomedical research. Argument against animals for research: wrongly violates the rights of animals, contradiction: misunderstanding of rights, wrongly imposes on sentient creatures much avoidable suffering, contradiction: mistaken calculation of of consequences. A right: is claim/potential claim that one may exercise over another. To understand a right, we need to know who, whom for, and to what it is is a right. Attributes of human being derived from their rights have been described by philosophers. Lay down moral laws for themselves and others. Because of this, they have no rights. Must be able to recognize conflicts between what is their own personal interest and what is just. Just because living things are living does not mean that they have a right to be living; abuse of the statement. A right presupposes a moral status that many living things don"t possess. However, we can"t do anything we want to animals.
