PHL273H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Immortal Souls, Animal Communication, Pet Rock
Document Summary
It has interests (a good of its own: easy to secure, a rock does not have interests for example. It would be prima facie wrong to frustrate its interests: prima facie at face value. There might be a reason to think it is wrong but it might not be all things considered wrong. Of promise lunch to friend but then run into a car accident. Prima facie wrong to frustrate friend"s interest. The wrongness of frustrating its interests is direct: ex. What attributes a living thing must have to have moral standing. If x has certain attributes, then x has moral standing . We cannot prove that there is thought in animals according to him. He says that it is possible for them to think, but we cannot prove it. Descartes argues that although we cannot prove it, it is highly probable for them to not have thought.
