Up@dawn 2.0

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Animals' Rights (Say what?!) Group 4 Section H1

Group Members: Larissa W., Erin P., Yusra M., Keaton D., and Evan L.

Author: Evan Lester

Today's discussion was about animals and animal ethics by Peter Singer. One aspect we looked at was the way he said that Australians can continue to eat the animals there and we cannot. We have to become vegetarians because we don’t treat the animals as nicely as the Australians according to Singer. Larissa had a good point about this by saying, “What makes them any different than us?” I think that is a good point. We feed the animals we eat and we give them land to roam. What else could the animals ask for?!
(Where the zebras roam!)

Also, I brought up the discussion about whether it should be better to hunt the animals we eat or would it be better to have it manufactured. According to Singer, it would be better to hunt the animals for food than to go through the horrific process that the manufacturers make the animals go through before they are killed for food. I think that I would rather have my meat processed before I eat it. I honestly don’t want any diseases from an animal, but I do not know about you! Also, I think that it is good to hunt animals and kill them for us. We are human beings. Keaton brought up the good discussion by saying that we have the capability to build cities, write books, and more. I think also that we have a better mental capacity to do these things. Larissa brought up the counterpoint of chimpanzees. I agree they have a good mental capacity, but then again their mental capacities are still less than ours.

Another point about hunting is that our country would be overpopulated if it was not for hunters and fishermen/fisherwomen. People would be hitting deer all of the time and squirrels could possibly rule the world! I mean look…. The squirrels did turn off the power on MTSU’s campus one time. This caused some classes to be canceled……… others not…… But anyway, the squirrels turned off the power on campus. I mean come on! This shows that they have the power to do anything. I AM JUST JOIKING!! But what I am really trying to say is that if we do not continue to hunt animals, then the world will have a problem with the animals overpopulating the land/Earth.
  
 (POOR SQUIRREL GOT CAUGHT IN THE TRANSFORMER!)

The final point I want to make is that Keaton said that we should stop doing the factory issues like the cruel things they do to animals. I do agree with this because I do not think that the animals should be mistreated. I would not want to be the animals under that type of environment. I think it comes down to do what you would do to others as you would want them to do to you. Therefore, I think that the factories and animal farms should treat the animals nicely, or at least put themselves in their shoes, and treat them properly.

 

DQ: What do you think about God?  Do you think there are different views people could take about God?

FQ:  Q: According to ___________________, God does not exist apart from our faith in him.

        A: Cupitt

Link: http://www.biography.com/people/peter-singer-39994

Here is some more information about Singer. I did not know that he is not only the “most influential living philosopher,” but he is also called the “most dangerous man in the world!”

5 comments:

  1. I think the underlying topic of this whole issue is respect. We don’t respect the animals so we don’t treat them properly. If you look at aboriginals, they respect the animals. That’s why, I feel, Singer said that everyone should become a vegetarian except for people like aboriginals.
    I don’t think everyone becoming vegetarian is realistic or a solution to the problem. If you look at the nutrients humans need, you get some of those from meat. We’re omnivores. Humans killing animals for food isn’t really that different from other animals killing animals for food. The issue is that people don’t care about the animal. I also feel like it’s one of those out-of-sight out-of-mind type of things. While eating healthy is a completely different issue, I feel that they are tied together. If you don’t care about the animals’ living conditions, you should at least be more conscious of the effects on your body from raising meat the way we do. I know the factories are horrible, but I can see why they are the way they are. The situation isn’t going to be easily fixed because people view themselves as being above animals. They don’t care about them. Yet, I’m sure we all agree the animals are capable of suffering.
    My main question through all of these animal rights and food debates is “What about the fish?” The way fish are caught is not very humane and they do happen to have fish farms too. However, we did say during the discussion that fishing isn’t as bad as hunting. But, if you’re going to talk about all of this, you can’t forget that people eat fish too.

    DQ: What about the fish? Do fish suffer like other animals, if you even consider a fish an animal (but should that result in different treatment?)?
    FQ: Who said, “We have all had to rethink as the world has changed around us?”
    A: Don Cupitt

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    Replies
    1. Only to play devils advocate, but "humans killing animals for food isn't really that different from other animals killing animals from food" is like saying "humans killing people in wars isn't that different from humans killing people in the holocaust."

      One is methodically thought out with nothing but the end-goal (deaths/sales) in the minds of the killers.

      ...The other is a thing necessary for survival. Animals kill what they need and nothing more. We kill more than we need, and we certainly don't need as much meat as we do. Indeed, the USDA says that we eat too much meat!

      http://www.naturalnews.com/029603_meat_fruit.html

      Delete
  2. Nice summary Evan! I didn’t get to spend too much in our group today, but we did have some interesting discussions. Two topics that I want to touch on were…
    1.) WHY do we see a difference between hunting and fishing?
    Larissa touched on this topic in class. She mentioned how dads are more likely to take their sons fishing at the age of 10, but they don’t take them hunting much later. Both of these “activities” require killing the animal, but what is marks them so different from one another? (This serves as my DQ as well, so comment away)

    2.)This point is building off of something Evan and I both said. I mentioned the people that stand around campus that hand out those flyers with the cute chick and ugly pig on the front, and why they did vegetarians chose that kind of lifestyle? Evan said that us eating meat is a service. Otherwise, there would be so much over population. But I pointed out that this wouldn’t happen, because growth hormones and breeding are ways man have tried to have their meat meet their demands. This also lead to a discussion about organic and unnaturally grown food.

    Just some points!

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  3. I think we were given stewardship over animals, which includes not causing them unnecessary pain. I don't like what is going on in the animal factories. I do think we should be able to eat them but there are better ways to go about turning the animals into food.

    DQ: Do you think someone can identify himself as member of a group even if he does not support or agree with the central goals and beliefs of that group?

    FQ: Who believes that "we might see God as a spiritual goal in life, but not as the ontological foundation of life"?
    FA: Don Cupitt

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  4. I agree with you Keaton! I especially agree that there should be better ways to make animals into food. Treating them like nothing is too painful to see. They should be given a better environment before they are turned into meat. I mean that is the least you could do for them since they are going to be gone anyway. Also, Yusra, I do not technically agree that a dad would take a child fishing at a younger age rather than hunting. In Hampshire (Where I went to high school) they always went hunting from age 8 and maybe a year or two younger than that just so they could shoot a gun or get the experience. I think that is based on the culture and how things go in a certain area. Also, the difference between them might be that hunting is different by the fact that a person can see an animal being shot and bleeding, while a fish that is caught only stops breathing after a short amount of time rather than bleeding. It might be the violence issue, but I do not know if there is a great answer to that question!

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