Many people are disgusted by the massacre of animals around the globe. Others, not so much. But in a society where everyone goes by “survival at the fittest,” who is to say that animal agriculture is so unethical?
In Wunderlich’s article, The ethics of animal agriculture – Issues Confronting Livestock Production and Marketing, he states that “economics is so rooted in utilitarian principles that any regard for animal welfare is basically confined to that framework.” Wunderlich goes further in his argument by declaring that animal rights are the human’s responsibility, and that the responsibility implies that humans should treat animals ethically; respectively and with a humanitarian approach.
I could just imagine the uproar that this article could trigger with all these concepts of animal responsibility. But I believe that what Wunderlich brings up in his article has a valid point. My father is an avid meat-eater, as well as a butcher by profession. He boasts that he has eaten all kinds of meat, from snakes to bugs to even dogs. But something that striked me most was that he told me, in a facetious manner, that after he had eaten his dog stew, other dogs would not go near him for a week. All the arguments of animals who have no compassion…it is false. Animals do have feelings and emotions, and all this attributes are very human, a big contrast to how some businessmen are treating their employees and their resources.
I stand by what Wunderlich is fighting for in his article. If humans do not provide the basic right and respect to the other living things in this world, in time, we would certainly lose our basic values and morals…and our conscience along with it.
I am curious to see what you think of my views on this article! Please post a comment and let’s talk 😉
References:
Wunderlich, Gene. “The ethics of animal agriculture – Issues Confronting Livestock Production and Marketing.” BNET. September 16, 2010. <http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3765/is_n4_v14/ai_12619629/pg_2/?tag=content;col1>