An Animal一个动物.docx
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An Animal一个动物.docx
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AnAnimal一个动物
AnAnimal'sPlace
ByMICHAELPOLLAN
ThefirsttimeIopenedPeterSinger's''AnimalLiberation,''IwasdiningaloneatthePalm,tryingtoenjoyarib-eyesteakcookedmedium-rare.Ifthissoundslikeagoodrecipeforcognitivedissonance(ifnotindigestion),thatwassortoftheidea.Preposterousasitmightseem,tosupportersofanimalrights,whatIwasdoingwastantamounttoreading''UncleTom'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''things''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''AnimalLiberation''inasteakhouse.
ThisisnotsomethingI'drecommendifyou'redeterminedtocontinueeatingmeat.Combiningrigorousphilosophicalargumentwithjournalisticdescription,''AnimalLiberation''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
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