(Midgley p. 152) In other words, Kant does not believe animals to be persons, but they are not exactly things or objects. So the question remains, where exactly do animals stand? Since it is apparent that humans do regard animals as more than mundane objects and that it is evident that animals do display certain levels of intelligence and sentience, I will argue that humans indeed have an irrevocable moral obligation to animals. First of all, let’s start with defining what a human person really is, I believe that a human person is a person if they match the following criteria. They must be a conscious being as in they must be able to experience things subjectively, secondly, they must be self-aware, and thirdly, they must display a certain degree of intelligence, (Anderson).
This debate concerns the influence of nature and nurture, or in other words heredity and environment not just on human behavior and actions but also on animal's behavior and actions. So, we need to ask ourselves a question. How do we come to be the way we are today? And I'm going to try to explain this from both point of views of the debate and I'll be focusing on criminology and aggression. Before I get into my topic I need to clarify why the nature vs. nurture is a debate?
What is the difference between animal and reflective knowledge? How can these types of knowledge be used to evaluate Gettier cases? Animal knowledge is acquired by one’s intellectual virtue, like using our own senses to perceive our true beliefs. This is an externalist form of knowledge because in order to have it, we don’t have to be aware of the processes underlie it. On the other hand, reflective knowledge is internalist knowledge.
However the unreliability of the results makes the claim an ongoing discussion and an open debate. The theory of evolution, first proposed by Charles Darwin (1809 – 1882) implies that all species are derived from common ancestors through natural selection (Phoenix, 2007 p.118-121). Natural selection is thought to be the main factor resulting in the diversity of species: it has been defined as a natural process, whereby only the variants best adapted to their environment develop the ability of a longer survival and pass on the best characteristics to future generations. Natural selection in species leads to 'adaptation' which is a change in behaviour as a consequence of surrounding modification. Within humans many adaptations have happened through Darwin’s theory of natural selection, one of these adaptations is called Theory of Mind.
An article “A Change of Heart About Animals,” is written by an author who argues on how animals and humans are similar. Rifkin’s argument that animals are similar to humans is true in terms of mentality, physical fitness and rights as a living being. Animals, as similar to humans, are aware of their painful experience by showing fear. For instance, an article written by Jeremy Rifkin argues that animals are like humans because they have feelings. He argues how “…many of our fellow creatures are more
Name: Tianna Rogers Today's date: November 1 2011 Class: Big6 #1 Task Definition Determine a purpose and need for information—What am I supposed to do? Animal hoarding has become one of the most pressing problems we face today in animal welfare. What information do I need in order to do this? (Consider listing in question form.) You will most likely find interesting additional information as you use the resources.
Some of these psychologists believed that “ the basic principles of learning, or acquisition of new behaviour, would be the same in any organism.” (Mc Leod 1993) Because of this belief they set out to understand the psychology of people by observing the behaviours of animals. In the early 1900’s the behaviourist movement was viewed by many people in counseling and psychotherapy as “an impoverished and inadequate vision or image of the human person.” (Mc Leod 1993) However, this movement did have an impact on the upcoming counselors of that era who had a psychology background, in that, they developed behavioural thinking and attitudes. In 1948, Edward Tolman carried out a series of experiments which led them to believe that a stimulus-response model was insufficient to account for behaviour and argued that some form of cognition must have taken place. This then led to the introduction of cognition to behavioural psychology. Throughout their history, behavioural psychologists have looked for ways to link behaviour to psychological and emotional problems.
The use of juxtaposition between the animals and the humans highlights the extent of the rebellion and the harsh mentality that the revolutionist animals possessed against the humans. Orwell uses personification of the animals in order to represent humans by them. The use of personification foreshadows the outcome at the end of the novel. This impacts the audience’s perception of the animals by allowing them to resonate with them and compare the animal’s behaviour to their own. The use of personification is ironic as they are acting like people even though they call people the enemy.
Darwin’s theory (second grand theory: instinct) is founded on the basis that actions and thoughts happen for a reason. A person’s actions are a result of his or her biological programming. An example of this occurs in the animal kingdom. Animals automatically understand and know how to feed their young. They are not taught, it is their instincts that gave them the ability to survive.
How is it that we think it is morally and ethically correct to cause pain and suffering to those animals? This paper will show you both the positive and negative aspects of animal research and how in the end it benefits humans. It will also show you how there are many people who think that there are other ways to research the new medicines and products for humans. How is the scientific research done on animals accomplished and how can they be improved, this paper should answer that question and hopefully open the eyes to those who do not have any moral misgivings about animal research. Another issue that pertains to animal testing is how the animals are treated while in the care of the research facilities and lastly, what is done with those animals when the testing is complete.