Monday, October 26, 2009
Update: Assignment #2 Guidelines (extended until Tuesday, November 3, 8pm)
Find the guidlines for assignment #2 below. I've picked the subject of animal rights for several reasons. It's a cutting edge moral topic and it reflects upon one of our most important industries. Read the Wikipedia article of the different arguments: Utilitarian, Rights and Abolitionist, to get an idea of the field you're talking about. This time, I've posted some suggestions as to how to construct your comment. If you have any questions regarding the assignment, you can post them here. I'll close this post, Monday Tuesday, November 3, at 8pm 10pm.
20 comments:
hello proffessor,
This is Candy. I am working together with ICC to raise money for United way, a non-profit organizations that help out different communities. we have a goal to reach as a campus alone and the deadline is very soon, i was wondering if i can ask the class if they are interested in helping out the cause by donating even a dollar. I can pass around an envelope or even after class, would that be alright with you?
I'll extend it until Monday, November 2.
Triff Is Gary Francione against animal cruelty or am I understanding the reading wrong. I also wanted to say thank you for your advice on how to construct this assigment. I'm one of those that usually speaks with out first analyzing the situation.
Marlene Fajardo
hi,
Triff both essential property and accidental properties have the same meaning. Is this correct?
Marlene
No, "an essential property" is one without which "the thing" in question cannot be what it is. Accidental properties, on the other hand, can come and go. Ex. I can loose my hair and still be me. Even my skin color (in the case of a black person with vilitigo).
Do we have a quiz on Tuesday, Nov 3? I was out last week and im not really sure as to whats going on? help anyone???
For T,R classes, the quiz is Tuesday.
Thank you Triff.
see you next week!
PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is an animal rights not-for profit organization and their slogan is “animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, or use for entertainment." Though I do have a palate for chicken and own leather shoes, I could not agree with them more. Granted, animals do not make social contracts or make moral choices as pointed out by the philosopher Roger Scruton. Nonetheless, they feel pain, any one can see the anguish in their eyes and hear it in their cries and shrieks, they are defenseless animals that nourish us and the least that we can do for them is to treat them humanely, one way is with controlled-atmosphere killing or CAK. Animals feel pain and just because they do not have the cognitive gift that humans do, does not make them meaningless, they are conscious beings that suffer while we drive through fast food chains on the way home to catch the new episodes on T.V. It is wrong, any way you look at it; they are like newborns unable to defend or express themselves beyond a cry.
The demand that we place on powerful corporations is unlike any other; these corporations also have the indistinguishable power to demand that their suppliers use CAK, we as consumers make them wealthy and have power, and though we truly may care, we are just too busy with our own lives to do anything about it. We can, however, write letters, support groups, be part of demonstrations and yet this may still not be enough, if we really care, we need to take a stand – NO MORE ANIMAL CRUELTY and YES to ANIMAL RIGHTS, LETS do something about it! Go to www.PETA.com; www.aspca.com; to Take Action go to https://secure.peta.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=1696 and sign their letter or request leaflets and stickers, and spread the word…We Are Their Voice, the ASPCA slogan.
Sandra Sicily
The vast majority of animal rights activist are irate towards the periodical process of producing certain delicacies such as; Kobe beef, veal steak and tender chicken breast. For example, cows that produce Kobe beef are raised in Japan and have no free range what-so-ever. They’re locked down to the point of no movement until being slaughtered. Their bodies are constantly massaged so that their protein turns. Next,veal comes from the flesh of calves that are fed solely on milk and are placed in cages with limited altitude so that their growth increases in width. These calves are slaughtered in a two year period so that the meat is very tender and of course the beef goes through the routine procedure of being prepared for dining. Furthermore, most chicken farms inject mass amounts of growth hormone into the breast of young hens, This process is usually complete within eight to ten weeks from their birth and they too are slaughtered and prepared for the market. In conclusion, these particular growth procedures are actually cruel and unusual in contrast to mother nature’s rule. Personally, I can’t honestly say that I have no sentiment towards the actual process because I enjoy eating these delicious delicacies and will continue to do so.
Ioram Borax T 5:40
Animal rights in the field of animal farming for human consumption is an intresting topic. It has arguments that can support both a positive and a negative outlook on such topic. There are people who eat meat and have no concern for animal rights as there are those who eat meat and are animal lovers. Personally, my religion advocates that animals killed for our consumption should not feel any pain and have strict rules on how animals meet there end. On a similar note, a personal belief of mine is that we should treat others(even animals)the way we would want to be treated. As humans with higher cognition than such animals, we know that they themselves have feelings and can communicate within there species. With that in mind, we should treat animals with the golden rule to an extent that will allow for us to maintain our eating habits. As in Triffs mind experiment, imagine that there where life forms supperior to ours that enjoyed our flesh. In that instant, how would you feel about your demise? You could only hope for a quick and painless death. If it is possible to do so for animals, why not comply?
According to national laws animals have certain rights that prevent mistreat and mishandling by humans, nevertheless these rights are not being respected by the animal food industry in America as well as in foreign countries. Shortages in food require extreme measurements for maximization of production leading the industry to the violation of animal rights. Animals are being kept in atrocious conditions, without space to move, mistreated by workers, tested with anabolic substances and injected with growth hormones to speed up the natural process. Although I am not a vegetarian, I am totally against the industry practice and believe in the right for animals to have a better living environment before their deaths. I don’t believe that the animal inability to communicate and speak in order to express pain to be a valid argument in favor of animal mistreat. We certainly don’t know for sure whether in the future, an emergent species will dominate us as we dominate the animal kingdom. We might become a food source for certain specie and definitely will not endure and accept a treatment as the one we are giving to chicken, cows, pigs among others animals of our daily consumption. Therefore, it is illogical and unethical to violate any living organism’s rights.
Animals rights particularily for human consumption is a subject that brings me guilt and puts me to think. It's a subject that poses serious contradictions. We must remember that humans are also animals, highly intelligent animals but never the less still animals. Having said that, suppose you are in the gym and someone comes handcuffs you and places you in a truck. And then off you go to the slaughter house. On the way to the slaughter house you are terrified because you know what agony awaits before your meaningless death. So my question is HOW WOULD YOU LIKE THAT BE DONE TO YOU!!!! Just because an animal can't tell you that it something hurts or that something you're doing is wrong doesn't mean it's not happening. We need paradigm shift for the sake of the animal rights. For the record I'm defenitly one of those that needs a paradigm shift, for by the time your done reading this, I would have eaten a nice juicy New York strip steak accompannied by a nice glass of Bordeaux. ;)
I’ve always seen the consumption of certain animals by human as natural as leaves falling from a tree or as animals eat each other in the wild; It’s all part of the food chain. Despite that being said, the cruelty and the inhumane conditions the animal are put under by these factory farms, is just flat out immoral. Profiteering food companies obviously don’t care about the well fare of these animals. Holding them in massive numbers, kept indoors at high densities, de-beaking the chickens, infesting them with anti-microbial agents, vitamin supplements and growth hormones that are certainly unhealthy to the animals and the consumers. Like Tom Regan said, “Animals are subjects-of-a-life.” Therefor they are bearers of rights. There ability to feel pain, fear and distress, indicates that they are aware of their torturing, therefor, they are suffering. Like Professor Triff pointed out, “if there were a species superior to us living on earth and we happened to fall prey to them, so they decided to put us in farm factories, just as food companies do to the animals, would that be right. This same scenario applying to animals is just as unethical. That’s why I oppose farm factories and feel that their treatment towards the animals is immoral.
this is Nilda Estevez from your 9:50 class
At the heart of animal rights is the knowledge that animals are sentient beings, capable of suffering and feeling pain. Just because they cannot express themselves with words, does not mean that they don’t feel. Suppose that someone is sticking a knife in a horse leg, does the horse says its hurting? Of course not, but it doesn’t mean that its not hurting. They are like babies, they cant say what they are feeling. I would say that most people specially women love to wear animal clothes, purses, shoes, etc. They don’t realize that for every shoe or coat that they wear there are hundreds of inoffensive animals dying. As much as we care about animals, sometimes we don’t show it enough or don’t do enough for them. We excuse ourselves saying that we have a lot going on in our lives but the reality is that even a little effort helps to save the lives of those inoffensive animals that are being treated like objects out there. We could write letters, make a point to the people and make them see that killing animals is a crime because they can feel just as we can.
I do believe animals should have rights due to various reasons. First of all, I do not believe animals need to have obligations in order to obtain rights, new born infants and disabled people have rights, so that aspect of earning rights does not apply in my opinion. Second, these poor animals are virtually being fabricated to makes ends meet as if they're equivalent to toilet paper or any disposable product for that matter. They clearly experience pain, they suffer, they display emotions, that alone is worth consideration. Yes, the demand for more food is being exploited by the booming population rate, but supply and demand is the same as saying that slavery was justifiable by virtue of the demand clients commanded it those times. I strongly agree with the Farm Animal Welfare council which demands the following freedoms:from hunger & thirst; from discomfort; from pain, injury or disease; to express normal behavior; from fear and distress. That's the very least we could do for these poor animals that feed us.
Cesar Gomez 9am MWF
I simply think that everyone should have the decency to treat animals with kindness and respect, and not make them suffer in any way. I believe that animals deserve to live according to their own natures, without harm, abuse or exploitation. It has been shown that animals are capable of feeling pain, hunger, thirst, loneliness, and kinship. It breaks my heart when I see people wearing fur. Fur belongs to its original owner. Some fur comes from animals caught in horrific traps called leg holds. Leg holds are spring-loaded steel jaws that clamp shut on an animal’s foot once it’s sprung. It causes injuries and loss of circulations. Animals are stuck in these traps for hours and even days before the trapper comes to pick them up. Some animals try to chew and bite their own limbs off just to get out of it. Fur also comes from ‘fur farms’. Millions of animals are killed each year in these farms.
Then there’s the subject of animal testing. Humans are important, but that doesn’t give anyone the right to cause needless pain and suffering on the animal’s part, especially something stupid likes makeup. If animal testing were to stop now, the progress of medical progress would speed up, because the alternatives such as in-vitro techniques are less time-consuming, more accurate, and less expensive than using animals.
And lastly, if you are planning to get a dog, you should not buy one from a pet store. Go to a licensed breeder. The dogs in pet stores are puppy mill dogs. Puppy mills were developed due to more and more people wanting dogs, and they are all mass-puppy-producing factories. The dogs that live there are under extremely horrible conditions plus puppy mill dogs will often be emotionally unstable or even dangerous due to bad breeding that you most likely will not run into if you contact a licensed breeder about getting a dog. Think about it, would you like to be treated likes some of these animals that undergo these conditions and abuse?
Dashna Compere
November 2, 2009
“Animal Rights”
Animals rights is one of the many subjects that distresses me each time I think about it. It really question ones mindset due to the fact that, there’s not a solid ground to both positive and negative side of the argument. I personally despise the idea of animal abuse. However, I love Griot (fried pork), poul di (chicken), ragou pye bef (sauce with Beef feet), and pwason fri (fried fish) the list goes on. Am I wrong for eating the meats stated above? Or is eating meat a requirement for survival? I personally don’t think I am wrong for eating meat; nor do I think meat is a necessary condition for survival. Some of my choices are base on my culture. By now one should come to the conclusion that I am HAITIAN! On the other hand, I don’t think it’s fair to manipulate a being just because they differ from us. Yes I said it “animals are being”! They may not have the ability to express their feelings, but the can feel. Do you know how many people are engage in an abuse relationship, and cannot express their feelings to the other person? Does that distinguish them from being a being? I give credit to those who are vegetarian, but I know I myself can’t be one. So all in all, I am not against animal being use for food purposes, but they have to go through a reasonable process before death. Also, I don’t think it’s fair to kill them for clothing purposes- I suppose that is animal abuse.
Dashna Compere.
ANIMAL RIGHTS!!!
I personally feel that Animals are not equal to humans, neither should certain animals be treated as humans. (just saying)For Instance, humans have a right to vote, giving animals that right and treating them like humans in that sense would be stupid. in some aspects, i agree that animals have emotional feeling, goes through pain, and deserve respected. not being neglected but think about it, would it make sense for and animal to eat off the table or sleep in the bed, or be intimate with an human being. It would be really odd. would you like to be compared to an ANIMAL, honestly no one is comfortable with that..
Animal rights is a topic that is very close to me as i have always been an animal lover and feel that they deserve not only to be "put down" in a humane way but to be given the same respect as any other person. The reason why this is such a "hot" topic is because there is always some person and/or company that tries to cut back on "financial responsibility" in order to keep these animals in a healthy environment. Because these people are looking for a "cheaper" way to keep this animals, and are, in my opinion, utilitarianists, is why we see and hear of such horrible things being done to these creatures. I am a firm believer, as John Locke said that animals DO have feelings and any UNNECESSARY cruelty toward them is MORALLY wrong
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