Human Dignity Fukuyama Analysis

Animal rights activists have gained considerable attention in the past few decades through education of the public. The exposure of animal cruelty has led more people to support the need for animal rights. The question now is not whether or not animals deserve rights. Instead, the question is what should those rights be and how far should they extend. A key factor that determines what rights an individual deserves is dignity. Dignity is the state of worthiness of honor or respect. In Francis Fukuyama’s essay, “Human Dignity,” Fukuyama declares that there are certain qualities that humans share, which qualify them for dignity and, therefore, human rights. Fukuyama’s anthropocentric discussion fails to acknowledge the qualities that all living beings …show more content…
Proctor argues that since humans and animals both have the ability to feel positive and negative emotions, they both deserve the respect and the right to not be treated cruelly. Marian Stamp Dawkins expands on the idea that animals deserve to be treated without cruelty in “The Science of Animal Suffering.” Dawkins addresses humanity’s moral obligation to treat animals with dignity and explains how humans can accomplish this different relationship with animals. Robert Garner’s article, “In Defence of Animal Sentience: A Critique of Cochrane’s Liberty Thesis,” furthers the debate on animal rights to include not only the right to not suffer, but also include the right to not be used in any circumstance. Animal rights may only be fully achieved once humans recognize animals’ dignity as living beings. It is crucial in upholding human moral values that humans apply the concept of dignity to all living creatures because all living creatures are born with sentience and an intrinsic desire for