Preview

Animal Suffering Argument Analysis

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1457 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Animal Suffering Argument Analysis
In this paper I am going to argue that Singer is right to claim that human suffering and animal suffering should be given equal consideration. I believe that animals have the capacity to suffer, as human do there is no difference in suffering because we are of different species. Whether we are humans are non-humans we have the capacity to feel pain.
Exposition 514 Singer argues that humans practice speciesism and it’s no different from racism and sexism. For instance the practice of racism and sexism is that other humans see themselves as superior to a certain race or gender. They feel that they are more intellectual because of their race and gender so they should be superior to those different from them. But
…show more content…
I believe that animals feel pain as has humans do because of the make up our anatomy. Mammals have nervous system as humans do. It wouldn’t be logic for them to have a nervous system if they did not feel pain. Animals are also capable of being stressed and also capable of feelings. If their nervous system is identical to ours they must in similar way have the feeling of pain. That means we share with them the capacity to suffer, if we share with them that characteristic we should have the same consideration for their suffering as ours. Some may say that some animals lack the sense of wanting to survive to prolong their existence so they don’t care are know about suffering and death. I find that hard to believe because these animals that they feel lack the interest to survive each day find it their interest to consume and if their in danger their instinct is separate themselves from danger by protecting themselves or fleeing, for me that’s a cause for survival no matter the species. As humans we do the same, we consume to survive and if we are in danger we try to protect ourselves as much as the animals we have the instinct to survive another day. As Singers states the ability to feel pain enhances an animal need for survival just as

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Animals deserve rights because just like humans, they feel excruciating pain, suffer and have feelings. One would argue that animals don’t experience emotions? But the answer is of course they do. It is emotions that allow animals to display various behavior patterns. According to the theory of utilitarianism, all sentient beings should be given consideration in the society and this includes both animals and humans. Also, animals cannot speak for themselves and for this reason they should be treated equally, protected and given the same respect as human beings. Peter singer’s approach also supports the argument on equal consideration in that animals deserve the same respect as human beings but just in a different view. In today’s society humans exploit animals for milk, meat, fur, scientific experimentation etc. and animals are constantly injured or killed. Their pain and sufferings should be taken into consideration, as this unjust treatment is morally unacceptable. Similarly speciesism is an…

    • 476 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    rodeo cruelty

    • 1847 Words
    • 4 Pages

    humans have tended to be the cause of the pain and suffering on animals without any…

    • 1847 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Good Essays

    In his essay, Peter Singer defines a term, speciesism, which means the “attitude of bias toward the interests of members of one’s own species and against those of members of other species”(204). Singer compares the speciesists with racists in order to emphasize that like racists who “give greater weight to the interests of members of their own race when there is a clash between their interests and the interests of those of another race”(206), the speciesists “give greater weight to the interests of members of their species”(206). Then Singer resonates with Bentham’s statement on the capacity for suffering and enjoyment. He believes that in order to be entitled to an equal consideration, a being should be capable of suffering from the pain…

    • 1344 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Peter Singer Argument

    • 1055 Words
    • 5 Pages

    1. In this paper I will argue that Singer is wrong to claim that human suffering and animal suffering should be given equal consideration. He claims that human animals and non-human animals with vertebrae experience pain and suffering in the same way. (41)…

    • 1055 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Phil. outline

    • 779 Words
    • 4 Pages

    B. Singer then turns to the substantive issue of “what are the implications of utilitarianism for our treatment of animals?”…

    • 779 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Peter Singer and his philosophy have received a range of praise and criticism for his progressive views. Some have called him the most dangerous man in the world, while others consider him a hero in the teachings of morality and ethics. His detractors make mention of his views on Animal Equality, blasting his comparisons of modern man’s treatment of animals to that of; slavery the Holocaust, human suffering and infanticide. Singer’s essay, All Animals Are Equal, poses the argument that all sentiment beings are entitled to the most basic of dignities and consideration, no different than those considerations reserved for humans. Singer draws no line of distinction between our species and other species who we, as humans…

    • 1249 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Nor, can they talk? But, Can they suffer?’ The point is well taken, for surely if animals suffer, they are legitimate objects of our moral concern. It is curious therefore, given the current interest in the moral status of animals, that Bentham's question has been assumed to be merely rhetorical. In this paper he suggest that the issue of animal pain is not so easily dispensed with, and that the evidence brought forward to demonstrate that animals feel pain is far from…

    • 639 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    It gives basic moral significance to things that are able to experience pain and pleasure. Human’s and non humans can most certainly experience pain and pleasure therefore we all deserve equality. Singer argues that we have a direct duty to animals, to include their interest in our moral reasoning. Whether or not animals can author treatises on mathematics they like us feel pain and we therefore have an obligation not to cause them needless suffering. Singer denounces all forms of what he calls “speciesism” whereby human beings believe they can exploit animals merely because they do not belong to the species homo sapiens. Just because animals aren’t homo sapiens doesn’t mean they are not equal. They have hearts, they pump blood, they breathe and they create life, these are all qualities us humans…

    • 759 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    ‘I feel pain therefore I must be.’ Be what? Alive? Important? Aware? Even human? Does lack of language or our lack of understanding of a language mean lack of Being? And therefore lack of suffering? This are only a few of the many questions philosopher Peter Singer poses in Animal Liberation, his review of Animals, Men, and Morals in which he argues that animals are no less human they we are and we will (or should) come to see animals just as we came to see (though are still struggling to) African Americans and women as equals to white men.…

    • 642 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Questioning morality and ethics is the most complicated arguments out of the issues that circulate in the debate of animal experimentation. The defendants would argue that animals cannot be considered morally equal to humans. Most would comment something along the lines, “There is a hierarchy in nature, and denying it is not warranted” like Tibor R. Machan would describe the argument. The human moral community, for instance, is often characterized by a capacity to manipulate abstract concepts and by personal autonomy. Since most animals do not have the cognitive capabilities of humans and also do not seem to possess full autonomy (animals do not rationally choose to pursue specific life goals), they are not included in the moral community.…

    • 255 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages.” This quote about animal abuse is from Thomas Edison, an engineer known for his life changing innovations that continue to impact on our world today. Animal abuse is a long-debated problem, often causing the world’s population to split into two sides over the dispute. On one side, are those who say that humans are far superior to animals and other living beings who have been put here solely to feed or entertain us. On the other hand, there are those of us who recognise that these “inferior life forms” should have the same rights as us, and so they deserve the same treatment.…

    • 1074 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    For many years, the debate of whether animals have moral rights or not has been thrown around court rooms, social media, and protests. Arguments are made defending animals and suggesting that they should be protected and recognized in human society. Medical researchers are scrutinized and harassed by these supporters for their part in animal testing and medical investigation. Scientific breakthroughs have been made, which has transformed the development of modern medicine. Lifespans have elongated and lives are being saved in every corner of the world, yet somehow, this is still debated as if it is the wrong thing to do. Research animals are pertinent tools of the medical world and humans are entitled to use them as such. As human beings with…

    • 465 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    All of my life I have had a tremendous amount of passion for all animals, and in most instances I've found that I have felt more comfortable around them than I do people, finding myself drawn to their many personable qualities, such as innocence, loyalty, lack of judgment, and overall cheerful disposition. As I have grown, my care for animals and their well being has as well, and my eyes have been opened to the horrors taking place all throughout the globe involving poor, innocent animals, who are unable to defend themselves, against the very people they are meant to find companionship with. The controversy over the practice of utilizing animals for the purposes of testing has been an issue for the past 30-40 years, and with it, comes the moral debate. However, the topic of ongoing question, whether animal testing is right or wrong, lies within your own personal morals.…

    • 1091 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Animal Cruelty Essay

    • 3892 Words
    • 16 Pages

    "Fighting Animal Abuse - State Laws and Fines." DREAMS OF THE GREAT EARTH CHANGES. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Apr. 2013. <http://www.greatdreams.com/eeyore/anmlws.htm>.…

    • 3892 Words
    • 16 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    What does Singer mean by saying that all animals are equal? What does he mean by "speciesism," and how is it like racism and sexism?…

    • 1603 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays

Related Topics