Introduction
Ethics is a critical examination of how and why people should act. Animal ethics is the branch of ethics concerned with how and why nonhuman animals should be considered in moral decisions. Despite their many differences, the most commonly recognized ethical systems all defend nonhuman animal moral concerns and oppose speciesism. Each theory has its own set of reasons for why individuals should act in certain ways and not others; hence the arguments of each theory are distinct. This essay addresses the views of two ethical theorists, Immanuel Kant and Peter Singer, on nonhuman life and agrees with the latter.
Discussion
Kant established a moral theory in which he said that autonomy is a required attribute for being the type of creature whose interests are explicitly considered in moral judgments of actions. Morally permissible activities are those that could be agreed upon by all sensible people in the situation; here, willingness is crucial (Pohl, 2019). Animals and humans both have desires that drive them to behave, but only people have the ability to step back from their desires and choose which path to take. Animals without this ability lack willpower and so are not autonomous. They have no fundamental value without it.
Singer contributes to utilitarianism, a set of theories concerned with determining which action would result in the greatest benefit for the largest number of people. Singer accords animal concerns of the same weight as human interests (Pohl, 2019). He claims that equality is a moral concept rather than a statement of fact: if having a greater level of intelligence does not authorize one human being to exploit another for personal gain, then can it entitle humans to exploit nonhuman beings?
Conclusion
Singer’s theory seems more reasonable, as animals are valuable as humans because both species live on the Earth, and having intellectual abilities do not make people more valued in the context of the ecosystem.
Reference
Pohl, A. (2019). Theories on Animals and Ethics. Office of the Vice President for Research. Web.