Biology and Philosophy 34 (4):40 (2019)
Abstract |
Ng :255–285, 1995. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf00852469) models the evolutionary dynamics underlying the existence of suffering and enjoyment and concludes that there is likely to be more suffering than enjoyment in nature. In this paper, we find an error in Ng’s model that, when fixed, negates the original conclusion. Instead, the model offers only ambiguity as to whether suffering or enjoyment predominates in nature. We illustrate the dynamics around suffering and enjoyment with the most plausible parameters. In our illustration, we find surprising results: the rate of failure to reproduce can improve or worsen average welfare depending on other characteristics of a species. Our illustration suggests that for organisms with more intense conscious experiences, the balance of enjoyment and suffering may lean more toward suffering. We offer some suggestions for empirical study of wild animal welfare. We conclude by noting that recent writings on wild animal welfare should be revised based on this correction to have a somewhat less pessimistic view of nature.
|
Keywords | No keywords specified (fix it) |
Categories | (categorize this paper) |
ISBN(s) | |
DOI | 10.1007/s10539-019-9692-0 |
Options |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Download options
References found in this work BETA
Zoopolis: A Political Theory of Animal Rights.Sue Donaldson & Will Kymlicka - 2011 - Oxford University Press.
Facing Up to the Problem of Consciousness.D. J. Chalmers - 1996 - Toward a Science of Consciousness:5-28.
Cardinal Welfare, Individualistic Ethics, and Interpersonal Comparisons of Utility.John C. Harsanyi - 1955 - Journal of Political Economy 63 (4):309--321.
Reconciling Fechner and Stevens: Toward a Unified Psychophysical Law.Lester E. Krueger - 1989 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 12 (2):251-267.
The Neural Basis of the Weber–Fechner Law: A Logarithmic Mental Number Line.Stanislas Dehaene - 2003 - Trends in Cognitive Sciences 7 (4):145-147.
View all 15 references / Add more references
Citations of this work BETA
Consequentialism and Nonhuman Animals.Tyler John & Jeff Sebo - 2020 - In Douglas W. Portmore (ed.), Oxford Handbook of Consequentialism. New York, USA: Oxford University Press. pp. 564-591.
The Cosmic Significance of Directed Panspermia: Should Humanity Spread Life to Other Solar Systems?Oskari Sivula - 2022 - Utilitas 34 (2):178-194.
Similar books and articles
Towards Welfare Biology: Evolutionary Economics of Animal Consciousness and Suffering. [REVIEW]Yew-Kwang Ng - 1995 - Biology and Philosophy 10 (3):255-285.
Animal Suffering: An Evolutionary Approach.Gill Aitken - 2008 - Environmental Values 17 (2):165-180.
Nature Red in Tooth and Claw: Theism and the Problem of Animal Suffering.Michael Murray - 2008 - Oxford University Press.
Is Animal Suffering Evil? A Thomistic Perspective.B. Kyle Keltz - 2020 - Journal of Value Inquiry 54 (1):1-19.
A Neuropsychological and Evolutionary Approach to Animal Consciousness and Animal Suffering.B. Bermond - 2001 - Animal Welfare Supplement 10:47- 62.
From an Animal's Point of View: Motivation, Fitness, and Animal Welfare.Marian Stamp Dawkins - 1990 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 13 (1):1-9.
The Relationship Between Workers and Animals in the Pork Industry: A Shared Suffering.Jocelyne Porcher - 2011 - Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 24 (1):3-17.
Neo-Thomism and the Problem of Animal Suffering.B. Kyle Keltz - 2019 - Nova et Vetera 17 (1):93-125.
The Asymmetrical Contributions of Pleasure and Pain to Animal Welfare.Adam J. Shriver - 2014 - Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics 23 (2):152-162.
Wild Animal Suffering is Intractable.Nicolas Delon & Duncan Purves - 2018 - Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 31 (2):239-260.
Knocking Out Pain in Livestock: Can Technology Succeed Where Morality has Stalled?Adam Shriver - 2009 - Neuroethics 2 (3):115-124.
Why Animal Suffering Matters: Philosophy, Theology, and Practical Ethics.Andrew Linzey - 2009 - Oxford University Press.
Analytics
Added to PP index
2019-06-18
Total views
61 ( #188,885 of 2,518,477 )
Recent downloads (6 months)
11 ( #66,500 of 2,518,477 )
2019-06-18
Total views
61 ( #188,885 of 2,518,477 )
Recent downloads (6 months)
11 ( #66,500 of 2,518,477 )
How can I increase my downloads?
Downloads