In today’s society, humans have many expectations to live up to, to be considered as a decent human being. But, what’s the point of having all these expectations when most of us fail to live up to them? “What Should a Billionaire Give - and What Should You?” by Peter Singer is a story that discusses the obligations that Billionaires should have when it comes to the people less fortunate than them. “An Animal’s Place” by Michael Pollan is a story discussing that the reasons animals are so mistreated today is because we lost everyday contact with them. “Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell is a story about George debating if he should shoot an escaped elephant or not. He solely makes this decision based on his pride. All of these stories have
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Everyone wants to live the happiest and best life they could live and do not want to be treated badly. As a result, ethical standards shows that we should all treat each other with love, sympathy, and kindness. Since humans don’t share the world for themselves, it is safe to assume that animals share these same values as we all co-exist. In “An Animal’s Place” Pollan talks about how animals and humans have the same interests. He says, “And the one all important interest that we share with pigs, as with all sentient creatures, is an interest in avoiding pain.” (400-401) This shows that there is a need for ethical standards because we all share them. As a result, we should be treating animals alike with the same kind of respect. Acknowledging that other animals feel the same things humans do, make us want to make a difference and become better people. Despite, many people not acknowledging them, it shows other people that we all have common values. Orwell also agrees that animals have common values. When Orwell shot an elephant, it was feeling too much pain so he decided to end his pain. He said, “It seemed dreadful to see the great beast lying there, powerless to move and yet powerless to die, and not even to be able to finish him.” (441) Orwell thought it was too cruel to let the animal die for a long period of time in pain so he decided to end his suffering. This leads back to the point that humans and animals have common ethical values which one of them is avoiding pain. Having ethical standards can help you put yourself in someone else’s shoes and make the right decision whether what to say or do. Regardless of many people living up to these standards, it is important to know that there are indeed “good” people out there and others can follow in their footstep. This shows that we are all not so different after
Everyone wants to live the happiest and best life they could live and do not want to be treated badly. As a result, ethical standards shows that we should all treat each other with love, sympathy, and kindness. Since humans don’t share the world for themselves, it is safe to assume that animals share these same values as we all co-exist. In “An Animal’s Place” Pollan talks about how animals and humans have the same interests. He says, “And the one all important interest that we share with pigs, as with all sentient creatures, is an interest in avoiding pain.” (400-401) This shows that there is a need for ethical standards because we all share them. As a result, we should be treating animals alike with the same kind of respect. Acknowledging that other animals feel the same things humans do, make us want to make a difference and become better people. Despite, many people not acknowledging them, it shows other people that we all have common values. Orwell also agrees that animals have common values. When Orwell shot an elephant, it was feeling too much pain so he decided to end his pain. He said, “It seemed dreadful to see the great beast lying there, powerless to move and yet powerless to die, and not even to be able to finish him.” (441) Orwell thought it was too cruel to let the animal die for a long period of time in pain so he decided to end his suffering. This leads back to the point that humans and animals have common ethical values which one of them is avoiding pain. Having ethical standards can help you put yourself in someone else’s shoes and make the right decision whether what to say or do. Regardless of many people living up to these standards, it is important to know that there are indeed “good” people out there and others can follow in their footstep. This shows that we are all not so different after