Animal rights extend to all sentient beings from "summary" of Animal Liberation by Peter Singer
The idea that animal rights should extend to all sentient beings is a radical notion that challenges the conventional wisdom about the moral status of animals. Sentience, the capacity to experience pleasure and pain, is the criterion that should be used to determine which beings deserve moral consideration. This principle is based on the recognition that all sentient beings have an interest in avoiding suffering and enjoying their lives. By extending animal rights to all sentient beings, we are acknowledging that non-human animals are not fundamentally different from humans in their capacity to suffer. This means that practices such as factory farming, in which animals are treated as mere commodities, are morally indefensible. Just as we would not justify inflicting unnecessary suffering on a human being, we should not justify inflicting unnecessary suffering on a non-human animal. The concept of extending animal rights to all sentient beings also challenges the traditional hierarchy of moral consideration that places humans at the top. It calls into question the assumption that humans are inherently superior to animals and have the right to exploit them for our own purposes. Instead, it emphasizes the fundamental equality of all sentient beings and the need to consider their interests in our moral decision-making.- From food production to scientific research to entertainment. It requires us to reexamine our treatment of animals and make changes to ensure that their interests are respected. Ultimately, extending animal rights to all sentient beings is a call for a more compassionate and just society in which the suffering of all beings is taken into account.
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