Babies and Beasts: The Argument from Marginal CasesBoth its defenders and detractors have described the argument from marginal cases as the most important to date in defense of animal rights. Hotly debated among philosophers for some twenty years, the argument concludes that no morally relevant characteristic distinguishes human beings-including infants, the severely retarded, the comatose, and other "marginal cases"--from any other animals. Babies and Beasts presents the first book-length exploration of the broad range of views relating to the argument from marginal cases and sorts out and evaluates its various uses and abuses. Daniel Dombrowski analyzes the views of many who are prominent in the debate-- Peter Singer, Thomas Regan, H. J. McCloskey, Jan Narveson, John Rawls, R. G. Frey, Peter Carruthers, Michael Leahy, Robert Nozick, and James Rachels are included--in a volume that will be essential to philosophers, animal rights activists, those who work in clinical settings, and others who must sometimes deal with "marginal cases." |
Contents
The SingerRegan Debate | 9 |
Reciprocity | 45 |
Preys Challenge | 78 |
The Criticisms of Leahy and Carruthers | 111 |
The Great Ape Project and Slavery | 139 |
The NozickRachels Debate | 155 |
Afterword | 175 |
Notes | 193 |
Bibliography | 209 |
217 | |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
ability animal rights animals and marginal Ape Project argues argument from marginal autonomy basic rights Benton capacity Carruthers Carruthers's chimpanzees claim contractarian contractualist criterion critics direct duties dogs Ethics and Animals Evelyn Pluhar example fact Frey's hence Ibid infants inherent value interests intuition irreversibly comatose James Rachels Jan Narveson justify killing Leahy lives mals marginal humans McCloskey mentally developed mentally enfeebled moral agents moral beneficiary status moral community moral individualism moral personality moral rights moral status morally relevant Narveson natural duties Nonetheless nonhuman nonpersons normal adult human normal human Nozick original position Peter Singer Philosophy possess potential question R. G. Frey Rachels Rachels's rational egoism Rawls Rawls's reason reciprocity theorists regarding replaceability argument retarded human senile sense sentiency severely retarded sort species membership speciesism speciesist Stephen R. L. Clark suffering Theory of Justice thinks Tom Regan treat treatment utilitarian VanDeVeer view of animals Wreen wrong