Introduction to Philosophy

Achieve Test Prep: Philosophy

Singer: Consider the Interests of Animals The Australian philosopher Peter Singer argues that reason requires that the principle of utility be equally applied to all animals capable of experiencing suffering. His writings from the book Animal Liberation address issues in bioethics, animal rights, and world poverty. Singer defined speciesism as “a prejudice or attitude of bias in favor of the interests of members of one’s own species and against those of members of others species.” Singer believed that most people are speciesists because they support the needless suffering of animals for the most trivial reasons. He believed that people take an active part in and allow their taxes to pay for practices that require the sacrifice of the most important interests of members of their own species in order to promote the most trivial interests of their own species. According to Singer, the principle of equality demands that it is our moral obligation to avoid inflicting needless pain on animals, any more that we would inflict it on humans, and that if we followed this principle we would be forced to make radical changes in our treatment of animals that would involve our diet, the farming methods we use, experimental procedures in many fields of science, or approach to wildlife and to hunting, trapping and the wearing of furs, and areas of entertainment like circuses, rodeos, and zoos and as a result a vast amount of suffering would be avoided. Singer’s concept of speciesism holds that humanity’s willingness to allow the suffering of some species in order to make the lives of people easier and more pleasurable is morally wrong. Authenticity: Existentialist Ethics The three major moral theories that we have discussed thus far include virtue ethics, deontology, and utilitarianism, with each having a different focus in defining and evaluating moral values. Virtue ethics is where moral value is determined by cultivating a virtuous character. Deontology is where moral value is determined by following the moral rules (maxims) prescribed by reason. Utilitarianism is where moral value is determined by the consequences of actions; the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people. In contrast to these traditional ethical theories, the eclectic theory of existentialism takes a much more personal and individual approach to the challenge of making ethical choices. Existentialism is a philosophical and literary movement that focuses on the uniqueness of each human individual as distinguished from abstract universals qualities defined as existence precedes essence, which means that humans create themselves through free choices and are responsible for who they are. Soren Kierkegaard Soren Kierkegaard was a Danish philosopher who argues that life has meaning only when people reject the pursuit of pleasure and seek moral truth by looking within and recognizing their connection to the divine. He believed that we need to cultivate our souls, committing ourselves passionately to the quest of truth and personal authenticity, and that we need to fully recognize and accept our personal responsibility in creating ourselves through the choices we make. He believed that we need to invest our lives with meaning through our efforts, fulfilling our unique potential through the power of our minds and the talents of our spirits making up the core values of the existentialist ethic. The opposite of this view is to succumb to the social forces of conformity, permitting the expectations of others to seep

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