Introduction
As human beings, we are enticed by having animals as our pets, mostly but animals serve many purposes in life. Animals can be used as pets, food, source of entertainment, for carrying out experiments, for clothing like fur and wool, for leisure activities such as hunting or even as part of décor like fish in a fish tank in the house. Humans, at times, forget that animals have their rights and they tend to ignore or forego them for their benefits. Daily, animals are striving for survival from being hit, be-slaved, and chained to participate in entertaining people. Also, they are caged, killed, experimented on, cut up alive for scientific experiments that serve human beings. The paper entails arguments that support animal rights, one that refutes the arguments, a cultural basis of animal rights together with what I learned from the experiment.
Two Views Supporting Animal Rights
Firstly, animals have a right to be free from being used by people (Lin, 2018). People use animals for many things, for instance, meat, eggs, wool, and fur, for entertainment like in zoos or circus or companionship, among others. However, people are not in dire need of animal products like food since they can do without them. People do not need to get their proteins from animals specifically but are also free to get plant proteins and be vegetarians, which is a good thing in being healthy. Therefore, people can stay healthy when they are vegetarians, as they can also attain a balanced diet altogether. However, some vegetarians can be grouped into two, those who are vegans for nutritional value and those that are for ethical value.
The second right of animals’ guards them against exploitation (Lin, 2018). For instance, animals are exploited by carrying out scientific experiments, testing new products into the market, among others. Humans who exploit animals justify themselves by explaining that animals do not have any intelligence; they are not as significant in the world when compared with human beings. They lack specific duties that they perform and even explain that God created animals to be of use to human beings. The justification does not give human beings the right to exploit animals through tests and experiments of new products, new medications, or even the aim to quench their curiosity under the experience of animals.
An Opposing View to my Opinion
Even though there exists a need to ensure the observation of animal rights, it must be noted there is a big difference between them and human beings which is both biological and also inextricably connected to moral qualities. As such, animals must assist human beings in solving some of the problems that have posed risks for decades. An example is on experimentation with the bid of realizing the most needed medical solutions. A claim of animal rights being equivalent to those of humans can be treated as a case of anti-humanism and should be desisted (Tester, 2014). The argument is primarily based on a clear misunderstanding about that which makes human beings unique.
Cultural
Animals are also significant in all cultures, but there are distinct cultural differences that are a result of the attitudes that people have regarding how animals are treated, which is very vast. My culture as a white American person has greatly influenced my view because growing up; I was taught to care and protect animals just like I do to my fellow human beings. Moreover, I observed my neighbors and family care and providing protection to animals their whole life. Individuals have adopted stray animals that they met on the roads or even adopting them from animal shelters. Therefore animals deserve the rights of being free from being used by humans and guarding them against being exploited for personal gains. One of my hobbies is going for a walk with my dog and I do part-time dog walking for my neighbors. It has helped me to comprehend that animals like dogs are a good source of companionship and they fill one's life with joy and happiness as they provide emotional and physical advantages (Tester, 2014).
Additionally, my religion also plays a part in influencing my view. As a Jewish Christian, I was taught to treat everything, and everybody just as Christ treated the church. It includes treating animals well and that they should not be used as food or other purposes but to be taken care of and protected (Szucs et al., 2012). The practice has helped me fall in love with being an activist for animals and to push for their rights to be upheld. My family is vegetarian and it has helped me to advocate for the rights of animals and I have urged my friends to join me in being a vegan as well.
Two Flaws in my Argument with Fallacies Learned from Chapter 3
A fallacy is a form of a statement that construes the reasoning that is incorrect and does not validate the argument that has been presented. A major fallacy is that human beings are no different from any other animals, and what differentiates them from animals is the fact that they are divine and have an elevated nature of thinking, reasoning, and feeling. The fallacy puts human beings at the top of the food chain giving them the power to exploit or use animals for their gains. It has allowed humans to exploit animals for their products like milk, meat, fur, and even in using them for scientific experiments to aid them in advancing their medical treatments.
Moreover, human beings are ethically bound not to exploit animals for their selfish gains. Morals guide human beings on what is right and wrong. Inflicting pain and suffering on animals is wrong, and this helps them to fight for the rights of animals that are being mistreated by their fellow humans. Facts show that even though someone is a human, an animal should be treated in a good manner despite having rights or not (Oh & Jackson, 2011). Therefore, this is a flaw because, despite human beings understanding ethics, they continue to mistreat animals, killing them, torturing them, as well as exploiting them.
What I Have Lesson Learnt in the Assignment
I have learned several things from the assignment regarding the rights of animals and how it may differ from animal welfare. Animal rights refer to the notion that people do not have the right to exploit and use animals for personal gains. Animal welfare, on its part, refers to the notion that people have the right to utilize animals as long as they are treated well. For instance, with cattle or sheep and goats, they are usually well taken care of but they eventually end up being slaughtered in factories to provide meat for the society. The aspect of them being slaughtered is not concerning how good they are treated. The animal’s welfare may also describe that some animals are more deserving of being protected and taken care of by humans like dogs, horses, and cats unlike other animals like fish and goats.
Conclusion
In conclusion, animal rights should be advocated to reduce the number of animals dying every day to service the needs of people. They should be guarded against exploitation and be treated well together with being protected from any harm as they may have more beneficial value. Culture plays an important role in the view of animal rights like protecting them, adopting them, and taking care of them.
