Animal Rights And Human Wrongs

The author of this article examines the treatment of human beings toward non-human animals and discusses various philosophies relating to limitations on this behavior, and how these limitations lead people to become vegetarians or to eliminate the use of animals in scientific experiments.

Author LaFollete discusses how humans treat non-human animals and compares and contrasts this relationship with how humans treat inanimate objects. The author argues that non-human animals are more like humans, and therefore there are constraints on how we should treat them.

Generally speaking, most people already hold certain beliefs about animals. For example, most believe it is wrong to wantonly kill or torture a “higher order” mammal. Paradoxically, our culture uses animals for food, clothing, and research — all activities which involve a great deal of pain for the animal.

In conclusion, there are substantial moral limitations on the way we can legitimately treat animals, which is at odds with our attitudes toward them. Most people think it is wrong to torture animals, though they also assume that animals are here for our use. This view is important, though it is unclear where this view will ultimately lead us.