Animal Rights

This week we’re considering the question of animal rights – specifically the question of whether it’s ethical to eat meat, given that current meat production causes immense suffering for animals. Generally speaking, philosophers take a utilitarian approach to this issue, arguing that the amount of suffering caused by meat production far outweighs the amount of pleasure or benefit it causes, because human beings don’t actually need to eat meat to be healthy.
During this discussion, however, you’re asked to consider what virtue ethics would have to say about the issue of eating mass produced meat. Can we be virtuous people, according to Aristotle’s picture, if we eat meat from the grocery store?
To help you consider this issue, read the short article on virtue ethics and animal rights at this link.
Virtues and Animals (Links to an external site.)
Focus especially on the section that explains how philosopher Rosiland Hursthouse applies virtue ethics to the question of animal rights.
Virtues and Animals

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