| dc.description.abstract | 英文摘要
The raising of economic animals in farm factories is one of the hot issues of animal ethics. This paper employs the theories of Peter Singer, Tom Regan, Mary Anne Warren and others, basically with the three important perspectives of animal moral status, moral welfare and animal right in the analysis of the ethical problems of the animal farm factory for our reflections.
Singer takes the preference utilitarianism view and accepts that animals have sentience and interests. Hence, we should treat the interest s of animals equally and rejecting speciesism, liberate animals from such farm factories. He suggests that we may turn into vegetarian to give more pressure to such farm factories. Regan criticizes first Singer’s regarding animals as receptacles only though Singer responded with his preference utilitarianism to remedy the question saying that preference is closely related to the life of each animal. . Regan’ s second criticism lay upon the inconsistence between the principle of equal consideration of interest and utilitarianism, while Singer responds that the principle only asks for equal consideration not equal treatments for all. Regan proposes a strong animal right, which is strongly criticizes by Warren as unreasonable. Warren proposes a weak version of animal right and employs a multi-criteria theory in the estimation of the moral status of animals. Warren thinks that both Singer and Regan regard animal as holding the same moral status as human being, and according to the analysis with multi-criteria, Warren argues that animals have a hierarchy in values.
In conclusion, after analysis and reflections of the situation and problems of farm factory animals, it is morally commanded that we have to reduce their sufferings. However it is impracticable to eliminate farm factories at once because the number is too enormous. However, when more and more people become vegans, this will give pressure to farm factories to improve their treatment of economic animals. Furthermore, we could encourage animal farm owners adopting better and humanistic feeding methods by buying or support. We are looking forward in the future that humanistic raising of economic animals will be realized.
Keywords: economic animals, intensive farm, preference-benefit theory, weak animal rights theory, strong animal rights theory.
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