A Response to Peter Singer on Animal Rights and Consciousness Long has the world and its popular philosophy considered animals to be mere things, mere living objects; lacking essential consciences, devoid of personhood. Humanity, however, has changed and is continuing to change, drastically. Knowledge is rapidly increasing, culture extensively expanding, and philosophy dramatically changing; thus, the personhood and, by extension, rights of animals is subsequently being reexamined. A leader, if not the leader of this reexamination is the philosopher, Peter Singer, who’s life journey lead him to believe that animals deserve equal consideration with humans, and greater rights than what they currently possess. Like Singer I feel animals should
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He went on to obtain a degree in philosophy in 1969, eventually writing his most prominent work, Animal Liberation in 1975 and soon returning to Australia to become appointed professor of philosophy at Monash University (Britannica.com). After some time, Singer was appointed Director of Bioethics at the University Center for Human Values at Princeton University and in 2005 was also appointed Laureate Professor at the University of Melbourne …show more content…
While scientists are yet to discover what makes humans have this essential consciousness, or if all humans even have it (though most suspect others do), there is a significant difference between human brains and the majority of animal brains, and that difference is mirror neurons. Mirror neurons allow humans to experience what others feel. It’s why when you see someone break their femur or get hit in the groin you can almost feel the pain along with them; the neurons are also responsible for an essential part of the human character, sympathy (brainfacts.org). A defining characteristic of psychopaths is the lack of sympathy; those who appear to lack sympathy are often considered by others to not qualify as humans, but rather monsters, mere animals, such as Doctor Mendeleev, Stalin, Joseph Albert, and many more. Many of these people grew to become unsympathetic, without compassion, but most not human creatures are born without it due to their lack of mirror neurons; explaining the almost unbelievable cruelty we see in nature such as birds stealing other bird’s young for food, hyenas gutting and eating antelope alive, not caring to first kill it to end its suffering, and even though some animals like lions who critically damage a prey’s neck first
He went on to obtain a degree in philosophy in 1969, eventually writing his most prominent work, Animal Liberation in 1975 and soon returning to Australia to become appointed professor of philosophy at Monash University (Britannica.com). After some time, Singer was appointed Director of Bioethics at the University Center for Human Values at Princeton University and in 2005 was also appointed Laureate Professor at the University of Melbourne …show more content…
While scientists are yet to discover what makes humans have this essential consciousness, or if all humans even have it (though most suspect others do), there is a significant difference between human brains and the majority of animal brains, and that difference is mirror neurons. Mirror neurons allow humans to experience what others feel. It’s why when you see someone break their femur or get hit in the groin you can almost feel the pain along with them; the neurons are also responsible for an essential part of the human character, sympathy (brainfacts.org). A defining characteristic of psychopaths is the lack of sympathy; those who appear to lack sympathy are often considered by others to not qualify as humans, but rather monsters, mere animals, such as Doctor Mendeleev, Stalin, Joseph Albert, and many more. Many of these people grew to become unsympathetic, without compassion, but most not human creatures are born without it due to their lack of mirror neurons; explaining the almost unbelievable cruelty we see in nature such as birds stealing other bird’s young for food, hyenas gutting and eating antelope alive, not caring to first kill it to end its suffering, and even though some animals like lions who critically damage a prey’s neck first