An Evaluation of Peter Singer's 1993 'Practical Ethics'
Subject: Philosophy
Research Question: How successful is Peter Singer’s 1993 ‘Practical Ethics’ in
establishing the moral status of animals”?
Word Count: 3999
Examination: November 2023
Contents Page
,Introduction..................................................................................................................................1
Singer’s Arguments For The Moral Status of Animals.....................................................................3
The Principle of Equal Consideration of Interests......................................................................................3
Speciesism................................................................................................................................................4
The Argument From Marginal Cases.........................................................................................................4
The Practical Implications of Singer’s Arguments......................................................................................5
An Evaluation of Singer’s Arguments.............................................................................................5
Preference Utilitarianism..........................................................................................................................5
Speciesism................................................................................................................................................7
The Argument from Marginal Cases..........................................................................................................7
The Practical Implications of Singer’s Arguments......................................................................................9
Singer’s Response to Frequent Objections..............................................................................................10
Conclusion...................................................................................................................................15
Reference List..............................................................................................................................16
, Introduction
Until 12,000 years ago, the hunting of animals was essential for survival
(National Geographic, 2023), however since then humans have developed
intensive farming methods focusing on maximising production efficiency and
minimising costs (Heyes, 2012). This approach causes billions of animals to
suffer from disease, overcrowding, physical mutilation, poor nutrition, and
slaughter (Harari, 2016). Furthermore, animal experimentation also causes the
suffering of non-human animals for the purposes of medical research and
product testing (Akhtar, 2015). Many advocate that although these processes
are beneficial for survival, the extent to which they have been undertaken is
unnecessary. We are no longer hunting for survival, but rather participating in
the systematic abuse of living beings, all for an exorbitant lifestyle that only a
small proportion of the population can access. It is argued that if non-human
animals were granted the status for moral consideration, perhaps authoritative
bodies would have the opportunity to avoid or minimise the mistreatment of
animals without significantly impacting the wellbeing of humanity.
It is only recently that we have begun to consider our actions towards non-
human animals, ideologies of human superiority first stemming from Christianity
and Judaism, both conveying the notion of ‘Imago Dei’ (the image of god). It is
argued that as humans were created in ‘the image of God’, we possess a unique
value called ‘the sanctity of life’ that is not shared with other creatures. Many
also accept anthropocentricism which outlines that due to our cognitive abilities
we have intrinsic worth that animals do not (Boslaugh, 2016). Over time more
1
Subject: Philosophy
Research Question: How successful is Peter Singer’s 1993 ‘Practical Ethics’ in
establishing the moral status of animals”?
Word Count: 3999
Examination: November 2023
Contents Page
,Introduction..................................................................................................................................1
Singer’s Arguments For The Moral Status of Animals.....................................................................3
The Principle of Equal Consideration of Interests......................................................................................3
Speciesism................................................................................................................................................4
The Argument From Marginal Cases.........................................................................................................4
The Practical Implications of Singer’s Arguments......................................................................................5
An Evaluation of Singer’s Arguments.............................................................................................5
Preference Utilitarianism..........................................................................................................................5
Speciesism................................................................................................................................................7
The Argument from Marginal Cases..........................................................................................................7
The Practical Implications of Singer’s Arguments......................................................................................9
Singer’s Response to Frequent Objections..............................................................................................10
Conclusion...................................................................................................................................15
Reference List..............................................................................................................................16
, Introduction
Until 12,000 years ago, the hunting of animals was essential for survival
(National Geographic, 2023), however since then humans have developed
intensive farming methods focusing on maximising production efficiency and
minimising costs (Heyes, 2012). This approach causes billions of animals to
suffer from disease, overcrowding, physical mutilation, poor nutrition, and
slaughter (Harari, 2016). Furthermore, animal experimentation also causes the
suffering of non-human animals for the purposes of medical research and
product testing (Akhtar, 2015). Many advocate that although these processes
are beneficial for survival, the extent to which they have been undertaken is
unnecessary. We are no longer hunting for survival, but rather participating in
the systematic abuse of living beings, all for an exorbitant lifestyle that only a
small proportion of the population can access. It is argued that if non-human
animals were granted the status for moral consideration, perhaps authoritative
bodies would have the opportunity to avoid or minimise the mistreatment of
animals without significantly impacting the wellbeing of humanity.
It is only recently that we have begun to consider our actions towards non-
human animals, ideologies of human superiority first stemming from Christianity
and Judaism, both conveying the notion of ‘Imago Dei’ (the image of god). It is
argued that as humans were created in ‘the image of God’, we possess a unique
value called ‘the sanctity of life’ that is not shared with other creatures. Many
also accept anthropocentricism which outlines that due to our cognitive abilities
we have intrinsic worth that animals do not (Boslaugh, 2016). Over time more
1
