Ethical theories and nonhuman animals

This video turns to what different kinds of ethical theories imply about how we should treat animals. We will see that despite their differences, they all imply (or are at least compatible with) full moral consideration of animals. We should therefore challenge speciesism regardless of which moral theory we accept.

In this course about wild animal suffering, you'll learn about the plight of animals living in the wild. Find out what the lives of the most numerous animals — invertebrates — are actually like and get an overview of evidence of their sentience (consciousness). Hear what the contemporary debates in animal ethics are and how they relate to showing moral consideration for nonhuman animals. Find out about a proposed field of research called welfare biology, the study of the wellbeing of animals living in the wild.

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If you're interested in learning more about the subject, we have many articles on our website on the topics covered in the course.

Attribution:

Videos:

· The Three Harvesteers. Mike Lewinski. CC BY 2.0 Generic license

· Bhutan Animal Rescue and Care (BARC) - Thimphu Shelter. Bhutan Animal Rescue and Care. Creative Commons Attribution license (reuse allowed)

[VgnRaj]

Such a meaningful message need not be delivered this solemnly. A dynamic motivational approach will reach more people than a smaller group of scholars.

[AndrewBroz]

Wouldn't it still be still be consistent with a utilitarian system to prioritize some classes of sentient beings over others if there exist differences in quality or quantity of potential suffering and pleasure for certain classes? For example, the utility value of suffering or pleasure may be properly weighted according to order of consciousness (there may be orders of zero weight, or non-linear weighting systems based on order under certain assumptions), suffering/pleasure bandwidth may be the proper way to determine moral weight (perhaps proportional to number of certain kinds of neurons or to number of relevant neural connections), etc. You see views like this from Douglas Hofstadter and other thinkers. It's not obvious to me that this class of views is wrong, and if accepted it raises serious questions about any line of reasoning which gives equal weight to all individual sentiences.

[cetviesauthor-writer.]

but regarding utilitarianism, the pleasure you give to the poorest is thousands of times more qualitative than the one you give to a richer person, isn't it counted within the theory? (i wonder whether it is not discussed in Dahl theory of democracy).

[cetviesauthor-writer.]

Je viens de lire que deontologie c'est aussi une forme et un point de vue tres particulier qu'on se fait de l'ethique. par example une approche deontologique voudrait que le vol est toujours mal. c'est a dire que prendre aux riches pour donner aux pauvres est toujours mal, et donc sanctionné. Remarque si le vol etait toujours puni, il n'y aurait pas de si riches...

[Paty]

Sorry pour les fautes d ortographe mais cest pas ma langue maternelle au cas oú il ne manquerait pas les cons qui aiment bien reprendre

[Paty]

Un jours viendra oú les etres innocents les animaux non humains pourront etre en paix et ceci sera quand les animaux humains les etres les plus abjects arretairont de exister

[Paty]

Ahimsa respets pour les innocents, les etres pures qui nont jamais faute et ne fauteront jamais, leur ames est pure et sont les vraie victimes des la barbarie et stupidites des animaux humains. Les animaux humains sont les seules nuissiblez et meritent de disparaitre