How does Singer define ethics and how does he apply this definition to the area of animal rights? Make sure to discuss key ideas such as utilitarianism, speciesism, etc. Articulate his main points.
Singer defines ethics as one that allows an individual to react to his reality from a moral standpoint in which said reaction least affects the other directly/indirectly. Said differently, Singer’s ethical viewpoint states that “the interests of every being affected by an action are to be taken into account and given the same weight as the like interests of any other being.” With Singer being a utilitarian, the best possible solution for all parties involved would entail that the solution satisfy “the most preferences, weighted on accordance with the strength of the preferences.”
In regards to animal rights and the movement against speciesism, Springer equates the movement to that of any other movement of the oppressed, such as racism and sexism. Springer’s ethical viewpoint would place humans and animals on equal footing in regards to consideration, one which states that “we should not give their interests any less consideration that we give to the similar interests of members of our own species.” In other words, we should move to eliminate speciesism because such a move would end our treating a “whole class of beings as something to use” and put an end to the unnecessary pain and suffering of another species. Ultimately, if one is to accept Springer’s position on ethics and how it relates to animals, one would alter his lifestyle completely in that he would change every aspect of his human/animal relations to include “diet, our economy, and our relations with the natural environment.”
Singer defines ethics as one that allows an individual to react to his reality from a moral standpoint in which said reaction least affects the other directly/indirectly. Said differently, Singer’s ethical viewpoint states that “the interests of every being affected by an action are to be taken into account and given the same weight as the like interests of any other being.” With Singer being a utilitarian, the best possible solution for all parties involved would entail that the solution satisfy “the most preferences, weighted on accordance with the strength of the preferences.”
In regards to animal rights and the movement against speciesism, Springer equates the movement to that of any other movement of the oppressed, such as racism and sexism. Springer’s ethical viewpoint would place humans and animals on equal footing in regards to consideration, one which states that “we should not give their interests any less consideration that we give to the similar interests of members of our own species.” In other words, we should move to eliminate speciesism because such a move would end our treating a “whole class of beings as something to use” and put an end to the unnecessary pain and suffering of another species. Ultimately, if one is to accept Springer’s position on ethics and how it relates to animals, one would alter his lifestyle completely in that he would change every aspect of his human/animal relations to include “diet, our economy, and our relations with the natural environment.”
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