Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 2

Philosophy - Essay Example affected by an action are to be taken into account and given the same weight as the like interests of any other being.†3 As a result, no distinction is to be made between the rights of human beings and the right of animals, and according preferential treatment to human beings as opposed to animals would be morally and ethically a wrong principle. However, the question that arises in this context is, can animals be ascribed a moral status that is equal to human beings? They are sentient beings just like us and they also feel pain, therefore it would be morally and ethically wrong to kill them or cause them pain. Should they then be accorded equal consideration as human beings in terms of the rights that are accorded to them? Singer has defined specicism as â€Å"a prejudice or attitude of bias towards the interests of members of one’s own species and against those of members of other species.†4 As a result, human beings apply a double standard, whereby human beings are accorded a privileged moral status while non humans are not. According to Wise, human rights are a function of human autonomy, which implies a high level of moral reasoning, and such autonomy cannot exist independently of human dignity.5 Since animals do not possess this power to reason and make moral choice, this implies that they are on a plane that is inferior to human beings. Cohen argues that a person who is entitled to a right should be in a position to recognise â€Å"possible conflicts between what is in their own interest and what is just. Only in a community of beings capable of self restricting moral judgments can the concept of a right be correctly invoked.† On this basis, he also rejects Singer’s argument which argues for animals to have equal rights, on the basis that mentally regressive human beings are incapable of moral judgments and yet are accorded rights. Cohen states instead that the test for moral judgment cannot be one that is â€Å"administered to humans one by one.†6