by Jason Stotts
Recently on the news I saw a bunch of “bunny-huggers” gathered somewhere protesting the “unethical treatment of animals” because these animals were being used to test pharmaceutical products to make sure they were safe for human use. Now, this seems to me to be 1) an evil inversion of Morality, 2) ridiculous that people would waste their time trying to save lesser animals, and 3) a true ignorance of the nature of the enterprise for which the animals are being used.
First, Morality is about serving the life and interests of HUMANS, therefore protesting as unethical actions aimed at trying to save the lives of humans is not ethical and just, but rather it’s unethical and unjust.
Second, lesser animals have no moral status and can be used however we want within reason. It is not immoral to kill animals per se, it would, however, be immoral to irrationally slaughter animals for “fun”, but the immorality comes not from killing the animals but rather from the motives of action. Killing animals for food or to save the lives of people is ethical but killing them for “fun” is indicative of mental problems.
Third, it is not only moral, but also just to use animals in order to try and save people. Animals have no intrinsic value; they have instrumental value (or perhaps sentimental value for pets), as such they are to be used to further our lives if they can be. The testing done on animals is to ensure the safety and lives of people – anyone who would object to letting an animal die to save a person can hardly be described as a moral person, in fact they are immoral and are operating from an inverted sense of morality.
Just as a closing thought, if giving the choice between saving a dog or a monkey at the expense of your own life, would you do it?
The rational answer, is of course, NO!