Thesis on "Is it Ethical to Raise Animals for Human Consumption?"

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ethical to raise animals for human consumption? That question can have many different answers, depending first upon one's concept of ethics and morality. Moreover, answers will depend upon in what period of history one has lived, where one lives, what culture a person is part of, and what food is available for consumption. In the interest of a thorough examination, this paper will approach the question from a purely ethical standpoint, and from the perspective of ethics and morals employed through the process of raising animals for human consumption. The second question to be addressed: When animals are indeed raised for human consumption, what ethical considerations should come into play?

Any discussion of ethics and morals with reference to the relationship between animals and humans should include a look back into history and philosophy. Aristotle believed that there is a natural hierarchy of living beings; he believed that while animals and humans are capable of conscious experience, humans are "superior to animals" because humans "have the capacity for using reason to guide their conduct" according to University of Connecticut research (http://clacc.uchc.edu). Hence, Aristotle reasoned, since animals lack the ability to reason (and rely on instinct) their function is to "serve the needs of human beings" (UCONN), which includes raising animals for human food.

Author Angus Taylor explains the views of several philosophers and leading thinkers such as philosopher Immanuel Kant, who believed that "we have no duties to animals because they are not rational" (Taylor, p. 31). On page 32 of his book Animals and ethics: an overview of the philosophical debate, Taylor references t

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he early Christian doctrines of Saint Augustine [354-430] and Saint Thomas Aquinas [1225-1274] as to the relationship of humans and animals. Those two religious icons believed that "animals, lacking as they do the faculty of reason, have been placed here on earth by God for human use." Another Christian leader, Francis of Assisi, who passed away immediately after Aquinas was born, believed that to place esteem on animals was a way of "honoring God" (Taylor, p. 32).

Confucian philosophy puts forward the notion that "the virtuous person has a feeling of oneness with all living things" and hence the virtuous person "is pained to see the suffering of others, including the suffering of animals" (Taylor, p. 32). As to Islam, being cruel to animals is forbidden and yet in some circumstances the religious sacrifice of animals is permitted; the Koran, however, suggests that "animal consciousness is not limited to instinct and intuition, and that non-human creatures worship God in their own ways" (Taylor, p. 32).

Charles Darwin, meanwhile, believed that many non-human animals "possess the power of abstract thought and can form general concepts" (Taylor, p. 51). Darwin also believed that animals exhibit morality in a sense because they have "social instincts, including parental and filial affection… [Which] lead an animal to take pleasure in the company of its fellows, to feel sympathy for them, and to perform services for them" (Taylor, p. 51). Many animals, including birds, "sympathize with each other's distress or danger," Darwin believed; hence, the legendary author of evolutionary theories was diametrically opposite of Aristotle when it came to morality and animals.

B. Why is This Issue Important?

This issue is important for several reasons, including moral, ethical, ecological / environmental, and health-related reasons. Jeffrey Masson (Face on Your Plate: The Truth About Food) points out (p. 33) that "Strange as it seems" humans are the only species on earth that do not have "an instinctive ability to know what food we should eat to stay health." All other animals do understand (instinctively) what food is necessary for them, Masson writes, and yet humans, the superior species, do not know what is best for them and worse yet, humans are "endangering our very existence" through our lack of stewardship and by the way we use animals to provide food for our tables (Masson, p. 33).

As background for the points he wants to make, Masson first runs though the fallacies with reference to humans vs. animals; to wit, humans are: "the only animals with culture" (false, wolves learn wolf culture at an early age); "the only animal to use language" (false, broadly described, animals have communication tools as a kind of language); the "only animals with complex emotions" (false, Darwin demonstrated that animals have emotions in 1872); the only animals "with a sense of death" (false, "elephants mourn their dead perhaps as deeply as we do"); and humans are the only animals who can project into the immediate future (false, look at the face of a dog when the owner gets the leash out in preparation for a dog walk).

Masson makes more points that contribute thoughtfulness to the question of why this issue is important, and the author not just alluding to the age-old debate between vegetarians and meat-eaters in this genre. For example, Masson (p. 34) points out that the "mega-animal farms" (also called "factory farming") are polluting "our air, our water, and our land." He is talking about large pens packed with pigs, cattle, chickens and other animals "trapped as they are fattened up for slaughter." Of course Masson is alluding to the grossness and cruelty of factory farming but he also brings science and environment into his argument.

Scientists worry about the large quantities of methane and nitrous oxide that is produced by industrial farming (Masson, p. 35); indeed "Methane has 23 times the global warming effect of carbon dioxide" and nitrous oxide has 296 times the effect that carbon dioxide has on climate change, the author explains. A "full three quarters of the nitrous oxide emissions" in the U.S. come from fertilizer used in agriculture and about two-thirds of all methane emissions worldwide originate from "the massive waste lakes created by giant animal farms" (Masson, p. 35). According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the world's 1.3 billion cows account for about twenty percent of methane emissions (Masson, p. 35). The 2.5 billion cattle and pigs on the planet excrete "more than 80 million metric tons of waste nitrogen" each year, Masson continues (p. 36). In the U.S. The animal excrement is 130 times greater than the amount of human excrement, and moreover, factory farm animals in the U.S. produce "87,000 pounds of waste every second" (Masson, p. 36).

Clearly, the contribution to global warming by factory farms and other places where animals are being raised (to be slaughtered and eaten by humans) is substantial, and should be taken into consideration in the discussion of ethics and animals. And this is not an issue that suddenly popped up in the news. In 1991, journalist Gene Wunderlich wrote in the journal Livestock Production and Marketing "…ethical issues are a crucial factor for the livestock industry today… [Including] all aspects of animal use in our food production system, including humane handling, sheltering, feeding, watering castrating, dehorning, docking, breeding, transporting, slaughtering, and preventing and treating illness" (Wunderlich, p. 25).

Wunderlich quotes Albert Schweitzer: "Whenever an animal is in any way forced into the service of man, every one of us must be concerned with the sufferings which for that reason it has thereby to undergo. Let no one regard as light the burden of that responsibility" (p. 26).

The ethical and health issues involved in factory farming come forward on a regular basis thanks to a reasonably vigorous news media. The Sacramento Bee (Fitzenberger, 2004) covered a California State Senate report; "large dairy operations…pose a threat to California's air and water," the report explained, which is highly relevant because California is the "top milk producer in the United States with more than 2,200 dairies" (producing 3.5 billion gallons of milk annually). Dairy lagoons "can break," the report explained, which then sends wastewater into lakes and streams. "Cows and their manure produce gasses that help form ozone and tiny chemical specks that can lodge in human lungs and cause health problems" (Fitzenberger).

C. Arguments For and Against Animals Grown for Human Food

Arguments Against: Many arguments against raising animals for food relate to the allegedly unfair and inhumane conditions employed in the process of raising food. It was reported in U.S. Newswire (October, 2005) that Foster Farms is guilty of "systematic animal neglect" at its poultry operations. The East Bay Animal Advocates (EBAA), quoted in the story, point to the following problems in the chicken "factories" that Foster Farms operates: "stunted grown (broiler Runting syndrome)"; "severe ammonia burns on breast, legs, feet"; "heart attacks (sudden death syndrome)"; "leg abnormalities"; "high newborn chicken mortality"; "fatal respiratory infections"; feather loss and "bloody fecal samples" (www.fosterfacts.net).

EBAA alleges that Foster Farms places "approximately 20,000" chickens in a "growout house" and those chickens reach "slaughter weight" at about six to seven weeks; while waiting to be slaughtered (they are "hung by their legs and their throats are slashes…the jugular vein and carotid artery cut with a sharp, hand-held or mechanical knife") they are "forced to stand on accumulated fecal waste and breathe… READ MORE

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Quoted Instructions for "Is it Ethical to Raise Animals for Human Consumption?" Assignment:

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The paper will consist of researching and writing a five-page research paper on an ethical topic. Research does not mean that you copy various statements from other people*****s writing on the topic without using quotation marks and citations*****”that is plagiarism*****”read the section on plagiarism in the syllabus. The paper must include a careful and thorough synopsis of your research; your philosophical position on the issue (what you think); and reasons that support your position. This is an important assignment in which you develop your skills of reading and analyzing ethical issues so you can reach your own ethical conclusions. Your position and support are an important part of this paper. Your paper must be written in clear essay form. Presentations must be given and papers must be handed in the day they are due to receive the potential full grade value of 100 (A). If you hand the paper in one day or one class late, the highest possible grade value will be an 80. Papers will not be accepted after the second class. Computer malfunctions are not acceptable excuses for late work.

Your paper must be at least five pages in length (five full pages, not four and a half pages, of writing not including the Works Cited page), fewer pages will not be accepted for this assignment. You may turn in a paper that is longer than five pages, however, limit the page length to no more than ten pages. Papers must be double-spaced, using 12-point type, and must include a Works Cited page.

Your paper must use three reputable (edu sites, NCLive sites, books) resources for research. You may not use a dictionary or encyclopedia as one of your resources, and the Internet site Wikipedia dictionary/encyclopedia is not an acceptable source for your paper. You may not use the textbooks for the course as a research source.

You may choose a topic to write a paper about and then give an oral presentation on the topic. Your topic must be approved before you begin your project. The following are some topic headings to get you started thinking about topic ideas*****”there are many ethical topics that are acceptable*****”you may choose a topic that is not on the list, but make sure you get your topic approved. You may not write about abortion, euthanasia, or capital punishment. No more than two students will be working on the same topic so that we have diversity during presentations.

Guidelines for writing and presenting your topic

You do not need to answer each of these questions. These are guidelines to help you think about how to research and write about your topic. However, if your topic has opposing sides, you must explain both sides of the issue.

A. Introduce your topic/conceptualize your topic:

1. Define the issue and any terms used in the subject.

2. Give background information that explains your topic.

3. Provide historical information that lets your audience know how long the issues have been addressed.

4. Explain why the issue has been important in our world history. Are there laws that relate to this issue? How has the issue affected people?

B. Why is this issue important?

1. What are the major ethical questions that people face today because of this issue?

2. What questions does this issue generate and leave unanswered?

3. What major moral dilemmas does the issue create?

C. Present arguments for and against this issue (if two or more sides exist).

1. Make sure you present an unbiased account of all the arguments both for and against your topic. Presenting both sides in an unbiased way is critical to the success of your paper and presentation.

2. Make sure your audience understands both sides of the argument.

D. Explain your position of the issues*****”what you think*****”and defend your position.

1. Explain why you hold your position on the issue. It is acceptable to say you are still undecided about an issue; however, you need to explain why you are undecided and which side of the debate makes more sense to you so far.

2. Have your opinions changed during the research and writing on this issue? Why or why not?

3. What solutions might you offer for this problem?

Presentations*****”

For the presentation you will have approximately 8 minutes total at the podium to deliver your topic. You will not necessarily present everything you developed for your paper. You will need to focus your presentation on the arguments for and against the topic (for topics that have opposing arguments) and/or the major ethical issues involved in this topic. Focus on the ethical issues left unanswered.

You will be expected to present your topic the day you are assigned. If you are late to class during presentation days, you will have 10 points automatically deducted from your presentation grade. If you are not ready or absent when it is your turn to present, you will receive a zero for this assignment and it cannot be made up.

College level writing should incorporate strong critical thinking and correct grammatical style. I will be reading and evaluating your writing based on your ability to communicate your ideas effectively and critically. Your writing should reveal the following critical thinking standards and you can ask these questions to help you think critically:

ï‚§ Clarity*****”Your thinking/ideas should be understandable.

ï‚§ Question: Have I given examples or illustrated the meaning of what I am trying to say?

ï‚§ Accuracy*****”Your ideas should be free from distortions; they should be true.

ï‚§ Question: Have I verified information to make sure my ideas are true?

ï‚§ Precision*****”Your ideas should provide the necessary level of detail.

ï‚§ Questions: Have I been specific and exact? Have I given details of what I mean?

ï‚§ Relevance*****”Your ideas should focus on the question at hand.

ï‚§ Questions: Do my ideas relate to the question or problem being asked? Do my ideas contribute meaning to the question or problem?

ï‚§ Depth*****”Your thinking should contain complexities and multiple interrelationships.

ï‚§ Questions: What factors show the difficulty of the problem? What are some of the complexities of this question? What are some of the difficulties that we need to deal with b/c of this issue?

ï‚§ Breadth*****”Your thinking should reflect multiple viewpoints.

ï‚§ Questions: Have I looked at this problem from another perspective? Have I considered other points of view?

ï‚§ Logic*****”Your thinking should make sense and not contain contradictions.

ï‚§ Questions: Does my first paragraph fit in with my last paragraph? Do my ideas follow from the examples and evidence I give to support my position?

ï‚§ Significance*****”Your ideas should focus on important issues; not the trivial issues.

ï‚§ Questions: Have I considered the most important aspects of this problem? Have I focused on the central ideas?

ï‚§ Fairness*****”Your thinking should be justifiable and not self-serving or one-sided.

ï‚§ Question: Have I sympathetically considered the viewpoints of others?

(Adapted from critical thinking standards developed by Linda Elder and Richard Paul)

papers*****”90 to 100

Reflect strong critical thinking in the development of ideas. Express sophisticated/scholarly insight.

Represent serious research when applicable*****”three or more reputable sources cited.

Are written in a clear and engaging essay style with good word choice and sentence structure.

Incorporate perfect or near perfect grammar and spelling.

Include works cited page and citations within text when needed.

B papers*****”80 to 89

Reflect adequate critical thinking in the development of ideas. Show signs of some sophisticated/scholarly insight.

Represent adequate research when applicable*****”three or more sources cited*****”at least two of which are from reputable sources.

Are written in clear essay style.

May reflect one or two awkwardly constructed sentences (awk), fragments, or misspellings, which do not substantially interfere with the clarity of the written assignment.

Include works cited page and citations within text when needed.

C papers*****”70-79

Reflect some critical thinking in the development of ideas. Ideas generally do not go beyond the everyday understanding.

Represent adequate research when applicable*****”three or more sources cited*****”at least two of which are from reputable sources.

Are written in adequate essay style.

Reflect awkward construction, fragments, or misspellings, which interfere with the clarity of the written assignment, but do not make it incomprehensible.

Include works cited page and citations within text when needed.

D and F papers*****”below 70

Do not reflect adequate critical thinking in the development of ideas. Ideas do not go beyond everyday understanding.

Represent inadequate research when applicable.

Are written in poor essay style.

Reflect awkward construction, fragments, or misspellings, which interfere with the clarity of the written assignment and make the writing incomprehensible at times or throughout. Show signs of not being proofread.

Do not include a works cited page and leave out citations when needed.

Fall short of college level work.

I have been using two books:

Righteous Prochop, Finding a life and good food beyond factory farms, by Nicolette Hann Niman

The Face on Your Plate, the truth about food, by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson

I want to concentrate on three areas, the environment( the effect on the air, water and land, the facts on the harmful effects and who says it is not harmfuland why), the nutrition (who says we have to eat animal protien and why, and the facts about eating a vege diet and the alternitives there are), and factory farms (how the animals are raised such as over crowding, debeaking, cageing) along with slauter houses (how the USDA states we are not using "downed" or dead animals, but slauter houses puts these animals in for slauter, how long to they go without food and water after they have been shipped to the slauter house, the stress on the animal at the slauter house how some are not really dead, how the government states we should kill the animal before slauter etc)

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