|
KMID : 1172020050060020049
|
|
Journal of Korean Bioethics Association
2005 Volume.6 No. 2 p.49 ~ p.63
|
|
|
Peter Singer’s Critical View on Speciesism
|
|
Choo Jung-Wan
|
|
|
Abstract
|
|
|
The aims of this thesis is to examine Singer’s critical views on speciesism, and to evaluate his argumentation with regard to human-being as a main subject of moral practice and obligation. In Accordance to Singer’s views, the existence of sentience is a sign to decide whether an object have interest or not. This assertion has grave meaning, in that this may awaken us to morally consider non-human life. However, These Singer’s view should be carefully examined since some questions could be arisen on the reasoning itself and its process of Singer’s views exist, and other views compared by Singers are also should be meaningfully discussed. Singer’s critical view on speciesism basically rests on the analogy between certain discriminating situations which happens in human society and the similar situation on the human-being and non-human species. This analogy suggests us not to discriminate animals on the grounds of biological differences between human-being and animals that can feel pain. However, the comparison between human-being and non-human species has different meaning in moral context at least. Furthermore, there is moral domain of values which biological fact
would not explain. In addition, we can take different positions with Singers on the valuing of the importance of natural
differences between human and non-human species. Human potentiality is the essence of morality, moral consideration and moral acts. Moral consideration and acts can be realized only by human-being. Human-being is the subject of moral domain. The argument asserting equal consideration between human-being and non-human species based on sentience may implicate in the danger of favoritism on tentative moral standard which only sentient species can be morally treated as human-being. On the other hand, it may endanger human dignity without recognizing the moral subject, human-being.
Human-being should paid thorough reflection on the dignity of life in general as objects of moral consideration. However, we should not try to achieve moral universality relying on fragmentary biological factors, we should grow our sense of responsibility on the life in general as a moral subject.
|
|
|
KEYWORD
|
|
|
Peter Singer, speciesism, sentience, interest, life, animal
|
|
|
FullTexts / Linksout information
|
|
|
|
|
|
Listed journal information
|
|
|
|