Utilitarianism: A Case Study

1. I do not think that any animal deserves to be held in captivity and paraded around for human pleasure. Also, I do not think that commercial fisherman should be able to use unsafe fishing practices that harm other sea creatures in the process. There are better and more humane ways to catch fish than dragging nets across the ocean where many different species are caught, injured, and killed. Unfortunately, the fishing industry like many others is consumer driven and in order to supply a cheap product, the fisherman must use the most efficient methods to catch fish which do not benefit other species of fish in the ocean. I am going to apply my argument to the theory of Utilitarianism. “For utilitarianism, the use of nonhuman animals can be acceptable only if the happiness their exploitation causes is greater than the harm it causes” (“Utilitarianism”). I cannot see how a person’s happiness can outweigh the harm that is done to dolphins or any other animal. These …show more content…
I do not think that there should be special considerations for animals that have a higher intellect or special characteristics, because all animals should be treated equally. From an elephant to an ant, I think all species should be looked at as special. Every species on this planet serves a purpose whether they are low or high on the food chain. I think humans can sometimes identify better with animals that exhibit human characteristics. For instance, elephants are very family oriented and chimpanzees display many human characteristics. It is easier for humans to relate to these intellectual animals compared to an ant or a cricket. Just because an ant or a cricket does not possess our level of intellect or conscious does not mean that they are less worthy or less important. We must remember that the human species in not the all mighty species like we all like to think. Animals have ruled this planet far before humans did and I think they should be shown the same respect that we humans show each