Comments on: What Are Animal Rights?

By: a rainbow of possibilities

a rainbow of possibilities — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 15:11:34 +0000

[...] But we are responsible for the animals we eat on purpose. We should feel the moral duty to respect life, protect the environment, and prevent disease more strongly than we feel the desire to do [...]

By: Leilani

Leilani — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 21:17:42 +0000

Maiza-All things including animals should be treated with respect. You stated that animals cannot possess “rights”, because they lack the ability to understand “rights”. Well my question to you is how is that different from a person with a severe disability that is unable to comprehend any of his or her rights? Animals just like humans need others to speak for them and express their rights. I am sure that if animals could talk they would say that they do not want to be treated the way that some of them are treated.

By: Oliver Lall

Oliver Lall — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 18:53:53 +0000

Thanks for this post, Eccentric Vegan. For a good understanding of the many uses of animals in our society, and the suffering we cause them as a result, I recommend the book ‘Building An Ark: 101 Solutions to Animal Suffering’, by Ethan Smith with Guy Dauncey, forward by Jane Goodall, PhD, DBE.

The book also provides countless, practical and easy to implement solutions to help end animal suffering. You can read some chapters online at:

http://www.earthfuture.com/ark

By: Eccentric Vegan

Eccentric Vegan — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 16:57:19 +0000

Maiza,
Rights is a tricky subject. Just look it up in a dictionary of philosophy: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/rights/

What I call rights, another might call privileges. Yet another might call welfare, and so on. I (and many others) disagree with you about the necessity of social contracting in regards to rights.

My intent here is to illustrate the wide array of animal abuse across the spectrum of human use of animals. My intent is to acknowledge that all animal abuse is a violation of animals’ rights, and thus all animal abuse (as well as use) is the appropriate target of animal rights organizations and activists.

By: Bea Elliott

Bea Elliott — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 14:20:48 +0000

Thanks for the compelling arguments and examples. At the very least what one can do to counter the multitude of animal abuses is to stop eating them... It's all so simple: just go vegan. ~ Recent blog post: SLAUGHTERHOUSE MEAT PACKER VIOLENTLY KILLS 5 YEAR OLD SON ~

By: Maiza

Maiza — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 09:38:46 +0000

Most of what you are discussing here falls under the category “animal welfare”, NOT “animal rights”.

Animals cannot possess “rights”, as they lack the ability to understand “rights” being conferred on them, and do not have the capacity to enter into a social contract which includes responsibilities.

They can and do however, deserve to be treated humanely, and any normal person with a conscience and ability to distinguish right from wrong would be against most of what you have listed here.

Sorry, but you should really get your thinking straight before you try to “unconfuse” the public.