Verified Document

Animals Have Rights Tabor R. Machan Concludes Term Paper

¶ … Animals Have Rights?" Tabor R. Machan concludes that animals do not deserve the same consideration as human beings because they are incapable of making moral decisions themselves. Machan argues that animals are distinct beings and it is a mistake to categorize them as being equal to humans. In fact, Machan states that animals should be exploited in some cases, if to do so will improve human quality of life. The author unabashedly places human beings at the top of the life spectrum, asserting that human beings are more important than animals because of our moral faculties. However, Machan does feel that animals should be treated judiciously and not cruelly. Machan is largely utilitarian in his approach to the animal rights issue. The author argues that because animals can be used to benefit human beings, that they should not be "liberated," or protected. The author also argues that the rights conferred on human beings...

Namely, animals have no capacity for moral or ethical understanding. In fact, Machan argues that this is one of the weaknesses in the animal rights ideology. Human beings must make the moral decision to protect animals, proving that animals don't have that capacity themselves. Machan also asserts that human beings can and should be considered as superior to other animals.
Machan's argument against the liberation or protection of animals is largely logical, but the author fails to account for the "ethics of care." While it is easy to condone the exploitation of animals on the basis of it being a logical practice, Machan fails to account for the emotionally based arguments raised by animal rights activists. Although Machan's argument is solid on paper, he does not take into consideration other types of ethical theories such…

Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Animal Testing
Words: 1585 Length: 5 Document Type: Essay

Animal testing or animal experimentation is a necessary evil. At least that is what some say. Others believe animal testing should cease as society evolves past the need to experiment on living creatures. The topic remains a hot button issue. It rings especially true for those who adopt a vegan lifestyle and believe animals should have the same rights as people in terms of value of life and so forth. Although

Animal Testing There Are Individuals
Words: 1907 Length: 6 Document Type: Research Paper

By using animals in research, and through animal research science learns how certain chemicals "interact with living systems"; this knowledge can be "translated into protection of humans, animals, and the environment from toxic levels of natural -- as well as man-made -- exposures (SOT, 6). Legal and professional accountability In Canada there are Research Ethics Boards (REBs) that have the power to authorize or reject funding for experiments with animals; when

Animal Testing Negatives of Animal Testing Outweigh
Words: 2261 Length: 7 Document Type: Research Paper

Animal Testing Negatives of Animal Testing Outweigh Its Positives and Therefore Should Not be Allowed Many cures and treatments have been developed in the last three hundred years due to advances in medical technology. These developments are sometimes attributed partly to the fact that scientists and researchers have been able to use animals as "guinea pigs" for testing new medications or treatment methods before passing them to human volunteers. There is strong

Animal Testing for Products Animal
Words: 1456 Length: 4 Document Type: Term Paper

Animal testing is not only for the benefit of the humans but is also beneficial to the animals themselves. "The research of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences benefits animals because NIEHS research contributes to protecting the environment for all the life that shares the earth - companion animals, farm animals, wildlife, marine life - and plant life as well" (Anonymous). Much more animals are consumed as a

Animal Testing Cosmetics and Toiletries
Words: 1185 Length: 4 Document Type: Term Paper

Animal Testing: Cosmetics and Toiletries Animal testing is the use of non-human animals in a variety of experiments (Wikipedia, 2005) Many experiments aim to test certain substances to determine their effect on humans, or to test medical or psychological hypotheses. Animal testing is a very controversial and well-researched topic. Proponents and opponents constantly argue over both ethical concerns and the effectiveness of the practice of using animals for scientific research. The term "vivisection"

Animal Testing There Has Been
Words: 1029 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

These experiments are done to see how the humans fair on with the treatment or the diseases without putting much consideration to whether it would survive or die FRAME Reduction Committee, 2005() Some other ways in which animals are unethically used for scientific purposes include in cases where Genetically modification is done on animals where some of their genes are added or removed as per type of experiment done, use

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now