Animal ethics theories aim to provide arguments in favor of assigning a moral sta- tus to non-human animals (all or some of them) and, consequently, of transforming or abolishing some of the ways in which humans interact with them. Therefore, philosophical analysis regarding animals’ moral status aims at fostering moral pro- gress in the field of human/animal relationships. According to a basic and natural- ized definition of moral progress, this takes place when sympathy is extended to subjects previously ignored or underestimated. From this perspective, the current state of affairs in human/animal relationships is puzzling. On the one hand, philo- sophical and public debate on the moral status of animals is spreading as never before (and this has led also to some legal protection of animals). On the other hand, the number of animals being exploited and killed by humans for food has reached unprecedented levels (i.e. the 62% of mammals’ biomass on Earth today is primarily made up of livestock). A distinction between a “conceptual” dimension of moral progress and a “factual” one could thus help animal ethics to deal with this puzzling context.

Animal ethics and the Anthropocene: moral progress and its difficulties / Pollo, Simone Flaviano. - In: ARGUMENTA. - ISSN 2465-2334. - (2024), pp. 1-14. [10.14275/2465-2334/20240.pol]

Animal ethics and the Anthropocene: moral progress and its difficulties

Pollo
2024

Abstract

Animal ethics theories aim to provide arguments in favor of assigning a moral sta- tus to non-human animals (all or some of them) and, consequently, of transforming or abolishing some of the ways in which humans interact with them. Therefore, philosophical analysis regarding animals’ moral status aims at fostering moral pro- gress in the field of human/animal relationships. According to a basic and natural- ized definition of moral progress, this takes place when sympathy is extended to subjects previously ignored or underestimated. From this perspective, the current state of affairs in human/animal relationships is puzzling. On the one hand, philo- sophical and public debate on the moral status of animals is spreading as never before (and this has led also to some legal protection of animals). On the other hand, the number of animals being exploited and killed by humans for food has reached unprecedented levels (i.e. the 62% of mammals’ biomass on Earth today is primarily made up of livestock). A distinction between a “conceptual” dimension of moral progress and a “factual” one could thus help animal ethics to deal with this puzzling context.
2024
animal ethics; moral progress; Anthropocene; moral sentimentalism; animal farming
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Animal ethics and the Anthropocene: moral progress and its difficulties / Pollo, Simone Flaviano. - In: ARGUMENTA. - ISSN 2465-2334. - (2024), pp. 1-14. [10.14275/2465-2334/20240.pol]
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11573/1717507
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