PHIL 2010 Lecture 21: Pets or Meat? Ethics and Domestic Animals Notes
3 Jan 2016
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It is not the animal that matters, it is the relationship. Justice theorists argue that relationships and feelings are not morally (or politically) relevant. If 2 entities have similar morally relevant quality, they ought to be similarly morally treated. Because of distance, we overlook morally relevant people. Don"t have to be treated same as their dog, but should be treated with morality. Do not cause suffering;do not arbitrarily discriminate. But no positive obligations ( do not have to feed. Most care ethics only care about humans. Problematic to eat a pet but not another animal. Producing eating factory farmed meat is ethically wrong. One has moral obligations only to companion animals. Factory farmed animals are in their own category. Not enough; not all contracts are moral. They are vulnerable to humans being under threat of harm. Moral obligations to care for dependent animals. When we adopt an animal, we care for it.
