"Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all sentient animals have moral worth independent of their utility to humans, and that their most basic interests—such as avoiding suffering—should be afforded the same consideration as similar interests of human beings."
The topic of Animal Ethics in Journalism explores ethical considerations and responsible reporting when covering issues related to animals and their treatment.
Animal rights: The moral and legal entitlements of non-human animals, including their right to life, freedom, and protection from harm.
Animal welfare: The concept of ensuring the well-being of animals, typically focused on reducing suffering or improving living conditions.
Speciesism: The belief that one species is inherently superior to others, often used to justify the exploitation of animals by humans.
Sentience: The ability to experience subjective feelings or sensations, often cited as a key factor in determining the moral significance of animal lives.
Ethical theories: The various frameworks for making moral decisions, including utilitarianism, deontology, and virtue ethics, and how they might be applied to animal issues.
Environmentalism: The idea that protecting the natural world and its inhabitants is a moral imperative, often connected to animal rights and welfare concerns.
Technological advancements: The impact that emerging technologies such as cloning, genetic engineering, and robotics have on animal ethics.
Industrial farming: Factory farming, including large-scale animal agriculture, is a major point of contention in animal ethics due to issues like animal cruelty, environmental damage, and public health concerns.
Animal research: The ethical implications of using animals in scientific experiments, including debates over their usefulness and the conditions under which they are kept.
Veganism and vegetarianism: The ethical and environmental arguments for reducing or eliminating the use of animal products in human diets.
Animal tourism: The impacts of animal-based tourism, such as zoos, circuses, and elephant rides, on animal welfare and conservation efforts.
Ethics and journalism: The role of media in promoting ethical consideration towards animals, including the importance of factual reporting and responsible journalism practices.
Utilitarian Animal Ethics: This approach advocates for the ethical treatment of animals based on their overall well-being, while minimizing suffering and maximizing happiness or pleasure.
Rights-based Animal Ethics: This approach emphasizes the inherent value and rights of animals as individuals, beyond their usefulness to humans or society.
Virtue Animal Ethics: This approach focuses on the personal and moral virtues that humans should practice when dealing with animals, such as compassion, kindness, and responsibility.
Ecofeminist Animal Ethics: This approach examines the interconnections between the oppression of women, nature, and animals, and promotes respect for all life forms.
Environmental Animal Ethics: This approach considers the ethical implications of human actions that harm the natural environment and the wildlife that lives within it.
Religious Animal Ethics: This approach is based on religious teachings and beliefs regarding the ethics of animal treatment.
Contractarian Animal Ethics: This approach views animals as beings with the capacity for entering into social contracts with humans, and advocates for ethical treatment based on these contractual obligations.
Evolutionary Animal Ethics: This approach considers the evolutionary history and relationships between humans and animals, and seeks to understand the ethical implications of these relationships.
"Broadly speaking, and particularly in popular discourse, the term 'animal rights' is often used synonymously with 'animal protection' or 'animal liberation'."
"They consider this idea, known as speciesism, a prejudice as irrational as any other. They maintain that animals should not be viewed as property or used as food, clothing, entertainment, or beasts of burden merely because they are not human."
"Multiple cultural traditions around the world such as Jainism, Taoism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Shinto and Animism also espouse forms of animal rights."
"In parallel to the debate about moral rights, law schools in North America now often teach animal law..."
"Several legal scholars, such as Steven M. Wise and Gary L. Francione, support the extension of basic legal rights and personhood to non-human animals."
"The animals most often considered in arguments for personhood are hominids."
"As of November 2019, 29 countries had enacted bans on hominoid experimentation."
"The vast majority of animals have no legally recognized rights."
"Critics of animal rights argue that nonhuman animals are unable to enter into a social contract, and thus cannot be possessors of rights."
"Another argument, associated with the utilitarian tradition, maintains that animals may be used as resources so long as there is no unnecessary suffering..."
"Certain forms of animal-rights activism, such as the destruction of fur farms and of animal laboratories by the Animal Liberation Front, have attracted criticism, including from within the animal-rights movement itself..."
"...prompted the U.S. Congress to enact laws, including the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, allowing the prosecution of this sort of activity as terrorism."
"They maintain that animals should not be viewed as property or used as food, clothing, entertainment, or beasts of burden merely because they are not human."
"Other animals (considered less sentient) have gained less attention—insects relatively little (outside Jainism) and animal-like bacteria hardly any."
"Some animal-rights academics support this because it would break the species barrier, but others oppose it because it predicates moral value on mental complexity rather than on sentience alone."
"They maintain that animals should not be viewed as property or used as food, clothing, entertainment, or beasts of burden merely because they are not human."
"Argentina has granted captive orangutans basic human rights since 2014."
"Their most basic interests—such as avoiding suffering—should be afforded the same consideration as similar interests of human beings."
"In parallel to the debate about moral rights, law schools in North America now often teach animal law..."