Introduction

Introduction to animal ethics

Animal ethics is a complex subject. Rational argument about the right and wrong way to treat animals is made more difficult by the deep love that many of us feel for animals.

For philosophers it raises fundamental questions about the basis of moral rights.

So is there any statement of animal ethics that people on both sides might accept? The suggestion is that this is the most they could agree on:

Animals and humans

Throughout the Animal Ethics section the term 'non-human animals' has been used for clarity, since the animal kingdom is often taken to include humanity.

Human and animal identity

The most difficult part of animal rights and welfare for human beings has been summed up by Colin McGinn:

How far should we go?

Most animal rights activists are concerned with preventing cruelty to animals - but should we go further? Does ensuring animal welfare require providing for animal happiness as well as eliminating suffering?

Controversies

The main controversies in animal ethics are these:

• Experiments on animals
• Rearing and killing animals for food
• Rearing and killing animals for fur/leather goods
• Hunting
• Entertainment
• Zoos
• Pet-keeping

Bunny-hugging

Supporters of animal rights are sometimes condemned as being 'bunny-huggers', driven by emotional attachment to the cuter members of the animal kingdom.

This is unfair. Animal ethics has nothing to do with a sentimental love for animals - the case for animals can be made with great intellectual integrity.

Furthermore, it is perfectly consistent to defend animal rights or argue that it's morally wrong to mistreat them, even if you actively dislike animals.

Philosophical issues

The issues of animal ethics include:

• Why do non-human animals deserve protection?
• Do non-human animals have rights?
• If they do have rights, why do they have rights?
• If they do have rights, what does this mean for humanity?
• Which non-human animals have rights?
• What's the difference between 'animal rights' and 'animal welfare'?
• If non-human animals don't have rights, do they deserve protection anyway?
• How should we balance the relative interests of human and non-human animals?
• The morality of direct action to protect non-human animals