The end of animal life : a start for ethical debate : ethical and societal considerations on killing animals

273 Pages·2016·1.25 MB·English

by  Meijboom

The end of animal life: a start for ethical debate

The end of animal
life: a start for ethical
debate
Ethical and societal considerations on killing animals
edited by:
Franck L.B. Meijboom
Elsbeth N. Stassen
Wageningen Academic
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Acknowledgements
The initiative for this book started as a result of a number of previous research projects
funded by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) on the ethics of
killing animals, the ethics of the prevention and control of animal diseases, and the ethics of
livestock farming. Furthermore, the process of editing this book benefited from discussions
with and support from colleagues at Wageningen University and Utrecht University. Most
of all we would like to thank the authors for their valuable contributions, and Mike Jacobs
at Wageningen Academic Publishers for all the effort that led to this publication. Finally,
we would like to mention one author who unfortunately could not witness the publication
of his chapter: prof. Richard P. Haynes (1931-2014). Richard Haynes has been a leading
scholar in the field of animal ethics and played an important role as editor-in-chief of the
Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics. We hope in memory of him that this
volume will contribute to the ethical and public debate on the end of animal life decisions.

Table of contents
Acknowledgements 5
1. The end of animal life: a start for ethical debate 13
F.L.B. Meijboom and E.N. Stassen
Abstract 13
1.1 Introduction 13
1.2 The human-animal relationship 15
1.3 The moral position of animals: genuine plurality 16
1.4 Animal welfare as common starting point? 17
1.5 Outline and contributions 19
1.6 Final remarks and a dynamic future 21
References 22
Part I. Ethical theory and normative considerations 25
2. Killing animals and the value of life 27
F.R. Heeger
Abstract 27
2.1 Introduction 27
2.2 Taylor’s defence of respect for life 28
2.3 Difficulties with Taylor’s theory 30
2.4 M cMahan’s view of killing animals and the badness of death 34
References 39
3. Killing as a welfare issue 41
R.P. Haynes
3.1 Does killing harm the victim? 41
3.2 What does ‘welfare’ mean? 42
3.3 Preference satisfaction as the criterion for a good life 42
3.4 What do we owe animals under our care? 43
3.5 The contractual model 44
3.6 What do we owe other animals? 45
3.7 A general theory of justice for nonhuman animals 45
3.8 Conclusions 47
References 47
4. Death, telos and euthanasia 49
B.E. Rollin
Abstract 49
4.1 Pain and telos as the bases for animal ethics 49
The end of animal life 7
Table of contents
4.2 Does death per se matter to animals? 54
4.3 Death and violation of telos 57
References 59
5. Do animals have a moral right to life? Bioethical challenges to Kant’s
indirect duty debate and the question of animal killing 61
H. Baranzke
Abstract 61
5.1 Introduction 61
5.2 Kant and the nature of indirect duties 63
5.3 Enjoying being alive and the question of analogy 74
5.4 O utlook on the basis of moral considerations on the end of animal life in an
integrative bioethics 75
Acknowledgements 76
References 76
6. The ‘significance of killing’ versus the ‘death of an animal’ 79
H. Grimm and M. Huth
Abstract 79
6.1 Introduction 80
6.2 Death: frustration of future preferences 82
6.3 P ractices of killing: taking the socio-cultural contexts into account 86
6.4 Conclusions 98
References 99
7. Even a cow would be killed ...: about the difference between killing
(some) animals and (some) humans 103
F.R. Stafleu
Abstract 103
7.1 Introduction 103
7.2 Taboo on killing humans, a biological basis 105
7.3 Ethical reflection on the taboo 106
7.4 Moral reasoning underpinning the taboo 107
7.5 Moral reasoning to override the taboo 109
7.6 Not a taboo, but is the killing right? 110
7.7 Conclusions 112
7.8 Epilogue 112
References 113
8 The end of animal life
Table of contents
Part II. S ocietal debates in the context of killing animals for animal disease
prevention and control 115
8. M orality, morbidity and mortality: an ethical analysis of culling
nonhuman animals 117
B. Mepham
Abstract 117
8.1 Introduction 117
8.2 Culling defined and justified 118
8.3 Justifications advanced for culling animals 119
8.4 Circumstances suggesting the need to cull animals 120
8.5 Postmodernism and prima facie principles 126
8.6 The case of badger culling in England 128
8.7 Challenges 132
References 133
9. Public moral convictions about animals in the Netherlands: culling
healthy animals as a moral problem 137
N.E. Cohen and E. Stassen
Abstract 137
9.1 Introduction 137
9.2 C ulling animals during the outbreak of infectious diseases: a case study 139
9.3 Public moral convictions in the Netherlands 142
9.4. Risk of harm and policy 145
References 146
10. P remature culling of production animals; ethical questions related to
killing animals in food production 149
M.R.N. Bruijnis, F.L.B Meijboom and E.N. Stassen
Abstract 149
10.1 Introduction 149
10.2 A life worth living 151
10.3 Premature culling 152
10.4 Premature culling: does it relate to animal welfare? 152
10.5 Th e role of longevity in animal welfare assessment in practice 159
10.6 Conclusions 163
References 163
The end of animal life 9