Philosophers

Question 1

Pythagoras views?
Duties toward animals?
Direct or indirect?

Answer 1

• Greek Philosopher and mathematician
• believed in close connections between animals and humans
• believed in not killing or eating animals bc it might be a reincarnated human soul
• Yes
• Indirect

Question 2

Aristotle views?
Duties toward animals?
Direct or indirect?

Answer 2

• greek philosopher and scientist
• had some wild animals
• wrote ‘history of animals’ zoology and husbandry
  - found that # of piglets decreases, the more the bore procreates in one period
  - animals appetite decreases when hot
  - sow will not lactate as well when overfed during pregnancy
• animals and humans share perception and emotion
• only humans have capacity for speech and reason
• “animals were made by nature for the sake of man”
• no

Question 3

St. Thomas Aquinas views?
Duties toward animals?
Direct or indirect?

Answer 3

• italian philosopher and theologian
• same same but different as Aristotle
• christian flavor
• animals are for man so killing and eating is okay
• animals do not have immortal souls
• hurting animals can cause cruel habits in humans
• yes
• indirect

Question 4

Rene Descartes view?
Duties toward animals?
Direct or indirect?

Answer 4

• french philosopher, mathematician, physicist, and psychologist
• introduced concept of animals being automatons
• encouraged vivisection
• animals have no language and therefore no rationality
• capable of feeling pain and emotions but no actually thoughts
• no

Question 5

Thomas Hobbes views?
Duties toward animals?
Direct or indirect?

Answer 5

• English philosopher
• CONTRACTARIAN
• animals have value only as far as other humans value them in order to maintain contracts between humans
• animals have no language and cannot enter social contract
• animals are not worth of moral consideration
• yes (under certain conditions)
• indirect

Question 6

John Locke views?
Duties toward animals?
Direct or indirect?

Answer 6

• english philosopher and physician
• developed on Hobbes (contractarian)
• animals have simple mental capacity (evidence of memory, cannot form abstracts)
• animals can suffer, bad to harm them (affect the human)
• yes (certain situations)
• indirect

Question 7

Immanuel Kant views?
Duties toward animals?
Direct or indirect?

Answer 7

• german philosopher
• morality is always following rules
• introduced principal of “categorical imperative”
• always tell the truth (inquiring murderer)
• humans have intrinsic value (right to life)
• animals have no intrinsic value, okay to use animals as a means to an end
• emphasised difference between animals and humans, humans have rationality
• helping animals helps humans
• yes (certain cases)
• no

Question 8

Jeremy Bentham views?
Duties toward animals?
Direct or indirect?

Answer 8

• english philosopher and social reformer (concerned about poor conditions for workers)
• consequences of actions is what matters (good>evil)
• not okay to discriminate against
• “question is not, Can they reason?, nor Can they talk? but, Can they suffer?”
• yes
• direct

Question 9

John Stuart Mill views?
Duties toward animals?
Direct or indirect?

Answer 9

• english philosopher
• built on Bentham’s views
• developed ‘Greatest Happiness Principle”, UTILITARIAN
• no difference between animals and humans
• yes
• direct

Question 10

Peter Singer views?
Duties toward animals?
Direct or indirect?

Answer 10

• australian philosopher
• “Animal Liberation” 1975
• not against using or killing animals (good life + painless death)
• regarded as “father of animal rights” though he is utilitarian
• yes
• direct

Question 11

Tom Regan views?
Duties toward animals?
Direct or indirect?

Answer 11

• american philosopher
• “The Case of Animal Rights”, a case against utilitarian
• animals are the subject of life and therefore have inherent value
• harm no one with inherent value
• killing is “harm by deprivation”
• yes
• direct