Animal Minds, Human Ethics

Announcements

1. two discussions left--
• Paper discussion (due April 26)
• Chickens and Chimpanzees (due May 1)
2. I've changed the discussion assignment group so your lowest grade is dropped
3. one quiz left--on the Andrews reading, due Tuesday
• your lowest two quiz scores are dropped

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From animal minds to human ethics

• given what we know about animal minds, should we say that animals have rights?

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Frans De Waal: Humane Traditionalism

• discusses animal rights in Appendix C
• generous view of animal minds
• ridicules animal law, the Non-Human Rights Project (Stephen Wise)
• it's silly to grant rights to primates or any other animals
• we may continue using animals in traditional ways
• but should do so humanely
• e.g. supports retirement for apes

Stephen Wise: Rights View

• teaches animal law
• author of Rattling the Cage
• leads the Non-human Rights Project

Peter Singer: Utilitarianism 

• commentary on DeWaal
• author of Animal Liberation and The Great Ape Project

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The Non-Human Rights Project (Wise)

• Free Happy Now
  
• Aims to get a judge to recognize a right to liberty possessed by Happy
• this would set a precedent, so lawyers for other animals could sue for their freedom 
• May 22, 2022--hearing -- 1:03 -- 1: 13:11
• Writ of Habeas Corpus--legal tool used to challenge detention
• other NhRP cases--Tommy the Chimp
• elephant sanctuaries, chimp sanctuaries
• the last 1000

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Happy at the Bronx Zoo

Liberty for Elephants Argument (Wise)

1. Elephants have very advanced abilities -- at least many of 1-10. (animal minds)
2. These abilities make them autonomous. (animal minds)
3. If elephants are autonomous, then they are persons (in a legal sense). (ethics, law)
4. If they are persons, then they are entitled to basic rights such as the right to liberty.  (ethics, law)
5. Happy's right to liberty is violated at the Bronx zoo. (ethics, law)         THEREFORE,
6. Happy should be released from the zoo and transferred to a sanctuary.

Which of 1-10 are relevant to autonomy?

1. Sentience, pain, pleasure
2. Consciousness beyond sentience
3. Self-awareness--e.g. mirror self-recognition
4. Time travel--recalling oneself in past, anticipating oneself in future
5. Thinking--insight, solving novel problems, having beliefs
6. Beliefs about social status of others
7. Imitation, culture
8. Communication
9. Theory of mind--understanding minds of others
10. Precursors of morality--empathy, fairness, cooperation etc.

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Beyond elephants (Wise)

• Which animals have enough of 1-10 to have autonomy, personhood, basic rights? 
• chimpanzees, orangutan
•  baboons, monkeys
• elephants, dolphins
• dogs, cats
• crows, chickens
• fish
• octopuses

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Responding to the NhRP (DeWaal)

• Agrees with the animal minds premises of the elephant argument
• Disagrees with the ethics/law premises
• DeWaal: rights are not just based on personhood/autonomy, they are based on a social contract

CHAOS, CONFLICT ==> AGREE TO A SOCIAL CONTRACT ==>  BASIC PRINCIPLES, RIGHTS

• Animals can't be contractors
• Contractors are not going to agree to rights for elephants!
• So elephants don't have rights