Animal Rights Case
Jim BeamPHI 1100 005February 6, 2014 PHI 1100 – Paper 1Animal Rights In the excerpt from our book, The Case for Animal Rights, Tom Regan argues that animals should be entirely eliminated from commercial use, scientific research and no longer shall we hunt or trap for sport. Tom states his argument at the bottom of page 116 by claiming “All who have inherent value have it equally whether they be human or not”. His argument by deductive reasoning starts with the premise that inherent value belongs equally to those who are experiencing subjects of life. He continues by correlating humans and animals both experiencing a life and concludes that if both humans and animals experience life then animals should be treated with the same respect we treat other humans with. It is his belief that sheer reasoning is the sole basis in which we should come to the same conclusion thus ignoring our emotions or any sentimental beliefs we may have.
If we were to end all use of animals for commercial and scientific gain as well as abolish hunting for sport, our world would change immensely. Without studying animals in science, cures to hideous diseases that afflict the human genome may never be discovered. Animal-based research has contributed to significant improvement in the length and quality of our lives and this is undeniable. Commercial farming of animals has also vastly improved life expectancy of humans by closing the food shortage gap in America. Starvation at one point was a leading cause of death and now in the United States does not rank in the top 10. While commercial farming is indeed not the only reason that starvation has regressed as a major cause of death, the fact that farms are able to close the food shortage gap here in America shows that this is a necessary source of sustenance. Lastly, overpopulation of animals without question causes more suffering for the animal kingdom through starvation and habitat destruction. Through hunting initiatives in the United States, animal populations are controlled and sustainable habitats are maintained allowing species to flourish as opposed to suffering from starvation.