Animal Rights

In this week's Discussion, you and your fellow classmates will tackle the question of animal rights. Students often find this topic challenging since it can call them to question their own view of animals and how they should or should not be treated.

• Do you believe animals have rights and do you believe people have an obligation to protect those rights?

• If you believe animals have rights, what are these rights? If you do not believe animals have rights, are there reasons people should protect them from abuse? Explain your position using ethical reasoning and/or theory.

Environmental Activists

At a lumber mill workers were being injured when the band saw was knocked off the pulleys by metal spikes driven into the trees. Local ecological activists had driven these metal spikes into the trees to make the lumber company stop logging in a specific area. In response, the company ran the trees past a scanner to look for metal. This prevented the men from being injured. So, the activists drilled holes in the live trees and poured concrete into them. The scanners could not pick up the concrete and men began getting hurt again.

• Were the actions of the environmental activists ethical? Why or why not?
• What would you do if you were the owner and why?