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Animal Rights Philosophy – Speaking of Research

speakingofresearch.com · 760 words · saved by 1 readers

There are many people around the world who believe that it is ethically wrong to carry out medical research using animals. At the center of this belief is usually an assumption that animals have, or deserve, rights. Few would contend that animal should have a right to vote, or a right to a minimum level of education, or even a right to own property; however animal rights activists do believe that animals have a right to life. In their defence, many activists bring up a quote by Jeremy Bentham: “The question is not, Can they reason?, nor Can they talk? but, Can they suffer? Why should the law refuse its protection to any sensitive being?” – Bentham (1789) – An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation. However, Bentham neglects to explain why suffering should be a basis for rights. Central to this question is that of “What grants rights?” What grants humans rights? Rights are a human invention used to moderate human social interaction. Before humans there were no rights,

There are many people around the world who believe that it is ethically wrong to carry out medical research using animals. At the center of this belief is usually an assumption that animals have, or deserve, rights. Few would contend that animal should have a right to vote, or a right to a minimum level of education, or even a right to own property; however animal rights activists do believe that animals have a right to life. In their defence, many activists bring up a quote by Jeremy Bentham: “ The question is not, Can they reason?, nor Can they talk? but, Can they suffer? Why should the law

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