An Animal一个动物文档格式.docx
- 文档编号:19281557
- 上传时间:2023-01-05
- 格式:DOCX
- 页数:14
- 大小:35.56KB
An Animal一个动物文档格式.docx
《An Animal一个动物文档格式.docx》由会员分享,可在线阅读,更多相关《An Animal一个动物文档格式.docx(14页珍藏版)》请在冰豆网上搜索。
sCabin'
onaplantationintheDeepSouthin1852.c
Singerandtheswellingranksofhisfollowersaskustoimagineafutureinwhichpeoplewilllookbackonmymeal,andthissteakhouse,asrelicsofanequallybackwardage.Eatinganimals,wearinganimals,experimentingonanimals,killinganimalsforsport:
allthesepractices,soresolutelynormaltous,willbeseenasthebarbaritiestheyare,andwewillcometoview'
speciesism'
--aneologismIhadencounteredbeforeonlyinjokes--asaformofdiscriminationasindefensibleasracismoranti-Semitism.
Evenin1975,when'
AnimalLiberation'
wasfirstpublished,Singer,anAustralianphilosophernowteachingatPrinceton,wasconfidentthathehadthewindofhistoryathisback.Therecentcivilrightspastwasprologue,asoneliberationmovementfollowedontheheelsofanother.Slowlybutsurely,thewhiteman'
scircleofmoralconsiderationwasexpandedtoadmitfirstblacks,thenwomen,thenhomosexuals.Ineachcase,agrouponcethoughttobesodifferentfromtheprevailing'
we'
astobeundeservingofcivilrightswas,afterastruggle,admittedtotheclub.Nowitwasanimals'
turn.
Thatanimalliberationisthelogicalnextstepintheforwardmarchofmoralprogressisnolongerthefringeideaitwasbackin1975.Agrowingandincreasinglyinfluentialmovementofphilosophers,ethicists,lawprofessorsandactivistsareconvincedthatthegreatmoralstruggleofourtimewillbefortherightsofanimals.SofarthemovementhasscoredsomeofitsbiggestvictoriesinEurope.Earlierthisyear,Germanybecamethefirstnationtograntanimalsaconstitutionalright:
thewords'
andanimals'
wereaddedtoaprovisionobligingthestatetorespectandprotectthedignityofhumanbeings.ThefarmingofanimalsforfurwasrecentlybannedinEngland.InseveralEuropeannations,sowsmaynolongerbeconfinedtocratesnorlayinghensto'
batterycages'
--stackedwiredcagessosmallthebirdscannotstretchtheirwings.TheSwissareamendingtheirlawstochangethestatusofanimalsfrom'
things'
to'
beings.'
Thoughanimalsarestillverymuch'
intheeyesofAmericanlaw,changeisintheair.Thirty-sevenstateshaverecentlypassedlawsmakingsomeformsofanimalcrueltyacrime,21ofthembyballotinitiative.Followingprotestsbyactivists,McDonald'
sandBurgerKingforcedsignificantimprovementsinthewaytheU.S.meatindustryslaughtersanimals.Agribusinessandthecosmeticsandapparelindustriesareallstrugglingtodefusemountingpublicconcernsoveranimalwelfare.
Oncethoughtofasaleft-wingconcern,themovementnowcutsacrossideologicallines.Perhapsthemosteloquentrecentpleaonbehalfofanimals,anewbookcalled'
Dominion,'
waswrittenbyaformerspeechwriterforPresidentBush.Andonceoutlandishideasarefindingtheirwayintomainstreamopinion.ArecentZogbypollfoundthat51percentofAmericansbelievethatprimatesareentitledtothesamerightsashumanchildren.
Whatisgoingonhere?
Acertainamountofculturalconfusion,foronething.Foratthesametimemanypeopleseemeagertoextendthecircleofourmoralconsiderationtoanimals,inourfactoryfarmsandlaboratoriesweareinflictingmoresufferingonmoreanimalsthanatanytimeinhistory.Onebyone,scienceisdismantlingourclaimstouniquenessasaspecies,discoveringthatsuchthingsasculture,toolmaking,languageandevenpossiblyself-consciousnessarenottheexclusivedomainofHomosapiens.YetmostoftheanimalswekillleadlivesorganizedverymuchinthespiritofDescartes,whofamouslyclaimedthatanimalsweremeremachines,incapableofthoughtorfeeling.There'
saschizoidqualitytoourrelationshipwithanimals,inwhichsentimentandbrutalityexistsidebyside.HalfthedogsinAmericawillreceiveChristmaspresentsthisyear,yetfewofuspausetoconsiderthemiserablelifeofthepig--ananimaleasilyasintelligentasadog--thatbecomestheChristmasham.
Wetoleratethisdisconnectbecausethelifeofthepighasmovedoutofview.When'
sthelasttimeyousawapig?
(Babedoesn'
tcount.)Exceptforourpets,realanimals--animalslivinganddying--nolongerfigureinoureverydaylives.Meatcomesfromthegrocerystore,whereitiscutandpackagedtolookaslittlelikepartsofanimalsaspossible.Thedisappearanceofanimalsfromourliveshasopenedaspaceinwhichthere'
snorealitycheck,eitheronthesentimentorthebrutality.Thisisprettymuchwherewelivenow,withrespecttoanimals,anditisaspaceinwhichthePeterSingersandFrankPerduesoftheworldcanevidentlythriveequallywell.
Severalyearsago,theEnglishcriticJohnBergerwroteanessay,'
WhyLookatAnimals?
inwhichhesuggestedthatthelossofeverydaycontactbetweenourselvesandanimals--andspecificallythelossofeyecontact--hasleftusdeeplyconfusedaboutthetermsofourrelationshiptootherspecies.Thateyecontact,alwaysslightlyuncanny,hadprovidedavividdailyreminderthatanimalswereatoncecruciallylikeandunlikeus;
intheireyesweglimpsedsomethingunmistakablyfamiliar(pain,fear,tenderness)andsomethingirretrievablyalien.Uponthisparadoxpeoplebuiltarelationshipinwhichtheyfelttheycouldbothhonorandeatanimalswithoutlookingaway.Butthataccommodationhasprettymuchbrokendown;
nowadays,itseems,weeitherlookawayorbecomevegetarians.Formyownpart,neitheroptionseemedespeciallyappetizing.WhichmightexplainhowIfoundmyselfreading'
inasteakhouse.
ThisisnotsomethingI'
drecommendifyou'
redeterminedtocontinueeatingmeat.Combiningrigorousphilosophicalargumentwithjournalisticdescription,'
isoneofthoserarebooksthatdemandthatyoueitherdefendthewayyouliveorchangeit.BecauseSingerissoskilledinargument,formanyreadersitiseasiertochange.Hisbookhasconvertedcountlessthousandstovegetarianism,anditdidn'
ttakelongformetoseewhy:
withinafewpages,hehadsucceededinthrowingmeonthedefensive.Singer'
sargumentisdisarminglysimpleand,ifyouacceptitspremises,difficulttorefute.Takethepremiseofequality,whichmostpeoplereadilyaccept.Yetwhatdowereallymeanbyit?
Peoplearenot,asamatteroffact,equalatall--somearesmarterthanothers,betterlooking,moregifted.
Equalityisamoralidea,'
Singerpointsout,'
notanassertionoffact.'
Themoralideaisthateveryone'
sinterestsoughttoreceiveequalconsideration,regardlessof'
whatabilitiestheymaypossess.'
Fairenough;
manyphilosophershavegonethisfar.Butfewerhavetakenthenextlogicalstep.'
Ifpossessingahigherdegreeofintelligencedoesnotentitleonehumantouseanotherforhisorherownends,howcanitentitlehumanstoexploitnonhumansforthesamepurpose?
ThisisthenubofSinger'
sargument,andrightaroundhereIbeganscribblingobjectionsinthemargin.Buthumansdifferfromanimalsinmorallysignificantways.Yestheydo,Singeracknowledges,whichiswhyweshouldn'
ttreatpigsandchildrenalike.Equalconsiderationofinterestsisnotthesameasequaltreatment,hepointsout:
childrenhaveaninterestinbeingeducated;
pigs,inrootingaroundinthedirt.Butwheretheirinterestsarethesame,theprincipleofequalitydemandstheyreceivethesameconsideration.Andtheoneall-importantinterestthatwesharewithpigs,aswithallsentientcreatures,isaninterestinavoidingpain.
HereSingerquotesafamouspassagefromJeremyBentham,the18th-centuryutilitarianphilosopher,thatisthewellspringoftheanimalrightsmovement.Benthamwaswritingin1789,soonaftertheFrenchcoloniesfreedblackslaves,grantingthemfundamentalrights.'
Thedaymaycome,'
hespeculates,'
whentherestoftheanimalcreationmayacquirethoserights.'
Benthamthenaskswhatcharacteristicentitlesanybeingtomoralconsideration.'
Isitthefacultyofreasonorperhapsthefacultyofdiscourse?
Obviouslynot,since'
afull-grownhorseordogisbeyondcomparisonamorerational,aswellasamoreconversableanimal,thananinfant.'
Heconcludes:
'
Thequestionisnot,Cantheyreason?
nor,Cantheytalk?
but,Cantheysuffer?
Benthamhereisplayingapowerfulcardphilosopherscallthe'
argumentfrommarginalcases,'
orA.M.C.forshort.Itgoeslikethis:
therearehumans--infants,theseverelyretarded,thedemented--whosementalfunctioncannotmatchthatofachimpanzee.Eventhoughthesepeoplecannotreciprocateourmoralattentions,weneverthelessincludetheminthecircleofourmoralconsideration.Soonwhatbasisdoweexcludethechimpanzee?
Becausehe'
sachimp,Ifuriouslyscribbledinthemargin,andthey'
rehuman!
ForSingerthat'
snotgoodenough.Toexcludethechimpfrommoralconsiderationsimplybecausehe'
snothumanisnodifferentfromexcludingtheslavesimplybecausehe'
snotwhite.Inthesamewaywe'
dcallthatexclusionracist,theanimalrightistcontendsthatitisspeciesisttodiscriminateagainstthechimpanzeesolelybecausehe'
snothuman.
Butthedifferencesbetweenblacksandwhitesaretrivialcomparedwiththedifferencesbetweenmysonandachimp.Singercountersbyaskingustoimagineahypotheticalsocietythatdiscriminatesagainstp
- 配套讲稿:
如PPT文件的首页显示word图标,表示该PPT已包含配套word讲稿。双击word图标可打开word文档。
- 特殊限制:
部分文档作品中含有的国旗、国徽等图片,仅作为作品整体效果示例展示,禁止商用。设计者仅对作品中独创性部分享有著作权。
- 关 键 词:
- An Animal一个动物 Animal 一个 动物
![提示](https://static.bdocx.com/images/bang_tan.gif)