The Moral Status of Animals

Regan:

  1. What is the difference between direct and indirect duties? Why does Regan reject the view that we can have only indirect duties to animals?
  2. On what grounds does Regan reject contractarian views of moral obligations?
  3. What is the cruelty-kindness view of morality? Why does Regan find it inadequate?
  4. What does Regan find appealing about utilitarian thinking? What does he find objectionable about it?
  5. What does Regan mean by inherent value? What traits must a creature possess to have it?
  6. What objections to the view that some animals have inherent value does Regan consider? How does he rebut them?

Machan:

  1. Why does Machan think humans are more important than animals? Does his reasoning stand up to Regan’s argument? Why or why not?
  2. According to Regan, rights rest on being the subject of life. According to Machan, they rest on the capacity to make moral choices. Can the issue be decided? If so, how?
  3. According to Kant, we have no moral obligations to animals, but we should treat them kindly to avoid developing insensitive character. How, if at all, does Machan’s view differ?
  4. In the passage that Machan quotes with approval, John Hospers criticized the animal rights movement for “going against nature.” Why? Do you agree?

Tucker:

  1. According to Tucker, in what sense do Confucianism and Taoism present an “organic, vitalistic worldview which has special relevance for developing a contemporary ecological perspective”?
  2. In what sense does Confucianism tend toward an “active” role for humans in relation to nature, whereas Taoism tends towards a more “passive” approach?
  3. According to Tucker, what are the implications of a Taoist perspective for environmental ethics? What are the implications of a Confucian perspective for environmental ethics?
  4. How does the theme “interrelatedness” inform both Confucian and Taoist perspectives on the human and natural worlds? Why might this theme be important?
  5. In what sense could Confucianism be described as a form of “social ecology”? how might this feature of Confucianism be applied to understanding and dealing with environmental issues?