Question 1

A traditional view dating back to Aristotle grants humans higher moral status than animals on the basis of

Accepted Answer

The traditional view dating back to Aristotle grants humans higher moral status than animals on the basis of rationality, as it is believed that humans possess superior rationality and thus can make moral judgments and choose to act morally, whereas animals cannot.

Question 2

A moral patient is an individual

Accepted Answer

A moral patient is an entity whose interests are morally considerable. This can include humans, animals, and other sentient beings who can experience pleasure, pain, and suffering. It is not necessarily dependent on their ability to act morally or consistently act morally.

Question 3

What does Norcross think is the relationship between being a moral agent and being a moral patient?

Accepted Answer

Norcross believes that all moral agents (beings capable of making moral decisions) are also moral patients (beings that can be recipients of moral actions), but not all moral patients are moral agents. This means that while every being capable of moral action can also be affected by moral actions, there are beings that can be affected by moral actions but are incapable of making moral decisions themselves.

Question 4

What is the best objection to Norcross's claim that people who consume factory-farmed meat are just as immoral as Fred the puppy-torturer? How would Norcross reply to this objection? Do you think his reply is successful? Explain and defend your answers.

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Question 5

What is the Argument from Marginal Cases? How have defenders of meat-eating responded to this argument? Do you find their responses compelling? Explain and defend your answers.

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Question 6

Some people claim that animals lack moral status because they are not rational in the way that humans are. How does Norcross respond to this claim? Do you agree with his response? Why or why not?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Some people claim that animals lack moral...

Question 7

Carruthers's argument is based on the assumption that _______ is the correct framework for moral theory.

Accepted Answer

Carruthers's argument is based on the assumption that contractualism is the correct framework for moral theory. He claims that principles of interpersonal morality can be justified by a social contract that we would all agree to if we were rational, free, and equal individuals. This approach focuses on the fairness of moral principles and emphasizes the importance of mutual respect, reciprocity, and impartiality in moral deliberation.

Question 8

Which of the following does Carruthers claim most animals do not possess?

Accepted Answer

Carruthers claims that most animals do not possess rational agency, arguing that while they may exhibit behaviors indicative of pain or consciousness, they do not engage in the complex reasoning processes that characterize rational agency in humans.

Question 9

Which of the following does Carruthers claim most animals do possess?

Accepted Answer

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Question 10

According to Carruthers, the capacity to govern one's behavior in accordance with universal rules is necessary for

Accepted Answer

The capacity to govern one's behavior in accordance with universal rules is necessary for rational agency, which involves the ability to form intentions that guide action and the ability to act on those intentions in a principled and consistent manner. This is a necessary condition for being a moral agent and having moral responsibility. Practical rationality (B) refers to the ability to reason about means to achieve one's goals, which is an important aspect of rational agency but not directly related to universal rules or moral standing. Having rights (D) is a consequence of being recognized as a moral agent, but it is not a necessary condition for it.

Question 11

Which of the following is sufficient for moral standing according to Carruthers?

Accepted Answer

According to Carruthers, moral standing is sufficient for those who have rational agency, which means that they not only have beliefs and desires but also have the ability to reflect on them and make decisions based on that reflection. Practical rationality is also important, but it is not sufficient on its own for moral standing. The capacity to suffer may be a necessary condition for moral consideration, but it is not sufficient on its own either.

Question 12

Why, according to Carruthers, would rational contractors grant moral standing to non-rational humans?

Accepted Answer

Carruthers argues that rational contractors would grant moral standing to non-rational humans because moral arrangements need to be psychologically supportable, and excluding non-rational humans would undermine the stability and acceptance of moral systems.

Question 13

Why, according to Carruthers, does our attachment to pets not give rise to a social-stability argument justifying an extension of moral standing to animals?

Accepted Answer

Carruthers argues that pet-keeping is not universal and that our attachments to pets are not as deep as those to relatives, thus not justifying moral standing for animals based on social stability.

Question 14

Torturing an animal or causing it unnecessary pain is morally wrong per Carruthers's view because

Accepted Answer

Carruthers argues that torturing animals is morally wrong because it reveals a cruel character, which is a reflection of a person's moral character rather than the direct harm to the animal or the violation of its rights.

Question 15

What do our duties toward animals derive from according to Carruthers?

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Question 16

According to Carruthers, the common-sense intuition that when we are morally required to prevent the suffering of animals for the sake of the animals themselves

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Question 17

What is contractualism? Is this the best framework for addressing moral questions in your view? Why or why not?

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Question 18

Carruthers claims that the social-stability argument cannot justify granting moral standing to animals in the way it justifies giving moral status to non-rational humans. What is the social-stability argument exactly and do you agree that it cannot be extended to nonhuman animals? Defend your answer.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Carruthers claims that the social-stability argument cannot...

Question 19

According to Carruthers, animals lack moral standing, and therefore we have no direct moral duties toward them. Nonetheless, Carruthers claims that we have indirect moral duties to animals. What does Carruthers mean by this and how does he argue for it? Is his argument convincing? Why or why not?

Accepted Answer

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Question 20

Case Study
Zoos have been criticized as morally problematic on the ground that they remove animals from their natural habitats and imprison them in an artificial environment for public display. Of course, zoos vary greatly in their quality and the quality of care they provide for the animals, but all zoos keep animals captive for the goal of human entertainment and education.
Imagine that an animal advocacy group does extensive research on the effects of zoos and finds out that they are enormously beneficial in a number of ways. For example, the data suggest that they not only promote appreciation of wild animals among people who would not normally care about their welfare, but they also dramatically increase the amount of charitable giving to animal conservation organizations.
-If the results of this hypothetical research were true, would it morally justify the existence of zoos? If yes, why? If not, is it possible for anything to justify the existence of zoos?

Accepted Answer

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Zoos have been criticized as morally...

Quiz 13: Animals