Animal Ethics and the Problem of Direct Conflict: Why Current Theories Can’t Offer Solutions
ABSTRACT Contemporary theories on animal ethics, particularly utilitarian and deontological accounts, can provide clear answers to questions of how animals should be considered ethically when humans and animals have different interests at stake. However, both accounts are unable to provide solution...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
LED Edizioni Universitarie
2024-03-01
|
| Series: | Relations |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.ledonline.it/index.php/Relations/article/view/4996 |
| _version_ | 1797276743878311936 |
|---|---|
| author | Carla Turner |
| author_facet | Carla Turner |
| author_sort | Carla Turner |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT
Contemporary theories on animal ethics, particularly utilitarian and deontological accounts, can provide clear answers to questions of how animals should be considered ethically when humans and animals have different interests at stake. However, both accounts are unable to provide solutions in cases where both parties have a similar basic interest at stake; for example in direct, unavoidable conflicts for the same food, land or resources, seen when elephants destroy crops, baboons raid farms etc. By exploring Singer’s utilitarian view and Regan’s deontological accounts in detail, I will demonstrate that these approaches cannot solve conflicts of this kind since both parties are weighted equally. This will serve to highlight the importance of reconceptualising animal ethics in terms of an ethically relevant quality that can be held in degrees, and that an individual can have more or less of. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T15:32:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-672e85c727474041aa8a45535fdb6862 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2283-3196 2280-9643 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T15:32:36Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | LED Edizioni Universitarie |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Relations |
| spelling | doaj.art-672e85c727474041aa8a45535fdb68622024-03-05T15:01:44ZengLED Edizioni UniversitarieRelations2283-31962280-96432024-03-01112253910.7358/rela-2023-02-turc2142Animal Ethics and the Problem of Direct Conflict: Why Current Theories Can’t Offer SolutionsCarla Turner0University of Fort HareABSTRACT Contemporary theories on animal ethics, particularly utilitarian and deontological accounts, can provide clear answers to questions of how animals should be considered ethically when humans and animals have different interests at stake. However, both accounts are unable to provide solutions in cases where both parties have a similar basic interest at stake; for example in direct, unavoidable conflicts for the same food, land or resources, seen when elephants destroy crops, baboons raid farms etc. By exploring Singer’s utilitarian view and Regan’s deontological accounts in detail, I will demonstrate that these approaches cannot solve conflicts of this kind since both parties are weighted equally. This will serve to highlight the importance of reconceptualising animal ethics in terms of an ethically relevant quality that can be held in degrees, and that an individual can have more or less of.https://www.ledonline.it/index.php/Relations/article/view/4996animal ethicsdeontologydirect conflictethical considerationhumananimal conflictinherent valuesentiencespeciesismsubject-of-a-lifeutilitarianism |
| spellingShingle | Carla Turner Animal Ethics and the Problem of Direct Conflict: Why Current Theories Can’t Offer Solutions Relations animal ethics deontology direct conflict ethical consideration humananimal conflict inherent value sentience speciesism subject-of-a-life utilitarianism |
| title | Animal Ethics and the Problem of Direct Conflict: Why Current Theories Can’t Offer Solutions |
| title_full | Animal Ethics and the Problem of Direct Conflict: Why Current Theories Can’t Offer Solutions |
| title_fullStr | Animal Ethics and the Problem of Direct Conflict: Why Current Theories Can’t Offer Solutions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Animal Ethics and the Problem of Direct Conflict: Why Current Theories Can’t Offer Solutions |
| title_short | Animal Ethics and the Problem of Direct Conflict: Why Current Theories Can’t Offer Solutions |
| title_sort | animal ethics and the problem of direct conflict why current theories can t offer solutions |
| topic | animal ethics deontology direct conflict ethical consideration humananimal conflict inherent value sentience speciesism subject-of-a-life utilitarianism |
| url | https://www.ledonline.it/index.php/Relations/article/view/4996 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT carlaturner animalethicsandtheproblemofdirectconflictwhycurrenttheoriescantoffersolutions |