Discourse on Animal Rights - Part II

“There is a waste and a tragedy when a living creature with an innate or basic capability for some functions that are valued as important and good never [get] the opportunity to perform these functions.”  -Martha Nussbaum

Animals have a potential and purpose apart from the categorization and designation we assign to them. They are meant to live in nature, grow into adults, and procreate. Animals are an integral part of the ecosystem, contributing to the rich global biodiversity of this planet. They have a proper function to contribute to the well being of the environment through their actions within food chains and food webs. When the species functions well, a balance is kept in the ecosystem.

Their potential is fulfilled when their natural actions are allowed to continue, to impede the potential of another living being is to deprive them of the action(s) that define what it is to be a thing of their kind. For instance, incarcerating wild tigers in small enclosures within a zoo is interfering with their natural interactions within the environment and impeding their ability to fulfill their potential, their purpose of being a tiger. In the wild, tigers prey on animals, grow, thrive and procreate to ensure the continuation of their species. When their species functions well, they help maintain the stability of their habitat and fulfill the purpose of being a tiger. However, when the animal is taken from their natural environment and put in unnatural surroundings where their natural behavior is curtailed or impeded, they are denied their natural right to life, liberty and the pursuit of their purpose, of what it is like to be a tiger. In many cases the animal develops unnatural behavior (stereotypies) like pacing, head bobbing and self mutilation which is thought to be the result of boredom, frustration or depression.

The intrinsic good in animals is in their specific function to their particular end: life, growth, and reproduction.  If the ‘good’ resides in the well functioning being, then if the being is prevented from functioning well, this would seem to be wrong.  It is true that certain life forms depend on taking the life of others for sustenance, as in the case of carnivores, but what of preventing functions of life forms on a systematically large scale like in the instances of factory farming, animal captivity and animal experiments?


Most natural animal behavior is prevented on a factory farm.  An animal in this situation is not allowed to move, being confined to a very small space. They are impeded from engaging in their natural actions like grazing, scratching in the dirt, roaming and engaging others of their kind. They are prevented from reaching their potential - to actualize what it means to be a cow, chicken or pig. Many of these beings are mutilated ‘for health reasons’ and consequently are not able to actualize their proper material form.

It is not only the act of killing these creatures in order to eat them that is unjust - it is more unjust that we prevent them from having a normal, natural life. We deprive them of the essence of life - we incarcerate them, torture them, stifle their instincts and then slaughter them on a massive scale.

Animals have natural rights by virtue of being alive, choosing self-preservation, their ability to feel pain, to suffer and their ability for complex emotions. We cannot consciously ignore these attributes that we share with animals. If we construct rights to protect the most basic human functions, these rights should be extended toward others who have these capacities as well. Animals should have the right to life, liberty and pursuit of their potential. And should not be held in slavery or servitude, or subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. To do anything less would be unconscionable, bowing to base human appetites.

Discourse on Animal Rights - Part I Natural Rights

One of the basic ideas of the modern world is that humans are endowed with certain "inalienable" rights, part of a natural law. The natural law argument was written extensively by the philosopher John Locke and was one of the influences of the American Declaration of Independence which is evident in the second paragraph of the Declaration:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

The purpose of the Declaration of Independence was to give reasons why it was just and right for revolutionaries to separate from England to form an independent government. However, the document has natural rights overtones, declaring that humans have the right to change their government, especially if their government is tyrannical, they have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
The pursuit of happiness clause is very broad, it could mean the pursuit of every whim and desire - but the authors had something specific in mind which is outlined in their list of grievances to the King. Most of the list refers to the Crown interfering in the colonies pursuit of self determination through heavy taxes and levies without political representation, abolishing local charters and laws, and interfering with commerce and trade. Their action of declaring independence was a movement to protect their natural right to self determination, to preserve what it is to be human.

In 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted. This document was largely a reaction to the second World War and the gross violations of human rights in Nazi Germany. This Universal Declaration  echoes some of the sentiments present in the Declaration of Independence but is more precise on the universal rights of humans:

Article 1. All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Article 3. Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

Article 4. No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.

Article 5. No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

The Declaration goes on to describe other rights such as due process, trial rights, freedom of movement, freedom of assembly and government participation. All of these rights are expressions of self determination, actualization of humanness - what it means to be human because we "are endowed with reason and conscience."

We use our talents, grow and strive to reach our potential. Ensuring certain natural rights are inalienable, help each individual to attain their goal and actualize their latent potential. "Rights" are a human concept, designed to minimize suffering and bring human society into a more balanced egalitarian existence. A more balanced, stable society promotes prosperity and growth not only for the individual but also for the city, state and country. In this way, we all evolve as a species.