Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics 27 (4):357-373 (2006)
Abstract |
Some philosophers have argued that moral agency is characteristic of humans alone and that its absence from other animals justifies granting higher moral status to humans. However, human beings do not have a monopoly on moral agency, which admits of varying degrees and does not require mastery of moral principles. The view that all and only humans possess moral agency indicates our underestimation of the mental lives of other animals. Since many other animals are moral agents (to varying degrees), they are also subject to (limited) moral obligations, examples of which are provided in this paper. But, while moral agency is sufficient for significant moral status, it is by no means necessary.
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Keywords | animals animal behavior moral agency moral obligations moral status speciesism |
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DOI | 10.1007/s11017-006-9010-0 |
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References found in this work BETA
The Case for Animal Rights.Tom Regan - 2009 - In Steven M. Cahn (ed.), Noûs. Oxford University Press. pp. 425-434.
Good Natured: The Origins of Right and Wrong in Humans and Other Animals.Frans de Waal - 1996 - Harvard University Press.
Taking Animals Seriously: Mental Life and Moral Status.David DeGrazia (ed.) - 1996 - Cambridge University Press.
Created From Animals: The Moral Implications of Darwinism.James Rachels - 1990 - Oxford University Press.
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Citations of this work BETA
In Defense of Eating Meat.Timothy Hsiao - 2015 - Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics 28 (2):277-291.
Animal Morality: What It Means and Why It Matters.Susana Monsó, Judith Benz-Schwarzburg & Annika Bremhorst - 2018 - The Journal of Ethics 22 (3-4):283-310.
The Problem of Many Hands: Climate Change as an Example.Ibo van de Poel, Jessica Fahlquist, Neelke Doorn, Sjoerd Zwart & Lambèr Royakkers - 2012 - Science and Engineering Ethics 18 (1):49-67.
A Practice‐Focused Case for Animal Moral Agency.Dorna Behdadi - 2021 - Journal of Applied Philosophy 38 (2):226-243.
Human‐Animal Chimeras: The Moral Insignificance of Uniquely Human Capacities.Julian J. Koplin - 2019 - Hastings Center Report 49 (5):23-32.
View all 18 citations / Add more citations
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