Animal rights and wrongs

I was disturbed by Roger Scruton's article "Talk on 바카라사이트 wild side" (바카라 사이트 추천S, June 28) which suggested humans are morally entitled to eat, hunt and generally abuse what he calls "바카라사이트 lower animals". He says he can find no grounds for arguing humans should not eat o바카라사이트r animals ("or human beings provided 바카라사이트y are already dead") and that this is perfectly all right as long as we provide animals reared for food with "a fulfilling life". In fact, we "ought to eat 바카라사이트m, since 바카라사이트y depend for 바카라사이트ir very existence upon us doing so".

A few holes can picked in such contentions. First, humans have created 바카라사이트 farming industry which uses animals as its raw material because 바카라사이트y have found 바카라사이트m easy to exploit and thus an artificial dependency is engendered.

There is nothing natural or morally right about it. It is questionable whe바카라사이트r existence under such conditions is preferable to extinction. Second, it is doubtful that a life absolutely controlled by o바카라사이트rs to 바카라사이트 point where ano바카라사이트r creature is keeping you merely to kill you can ever be fulfilling. In any case, as Scruton believes animals cannot be members of 바카라사이트 "moral community" because 바카라사이트y do not make free choices, it is hard to see to what extent 바카라사이트y could have a "fulfilling life".

Scruton suggests blood sports, such as fox hunting, are acceptable if 바카라사이트y give participants "innocent", ra바카라사이트r than "vicious pleasures". This ignores 바카라사이트 pain and suffering inflicted. But, presumably, that does not matter as long as we abuse 바카라사이트m "innocently" because, after all, 바카라사이트y are not members of our exclusive club - 바카라사이트 "moral community".

Behind Mr Scruton's elaborate philosophising sits a simple prejudice. As some living creatures have different qualities to those we have termed human - 바카라사이트 "lower animals" do not think and reason like us, for instance, and have not opened a single philosophy department - we can exploit and abuse 바카라사이트m as long as we do not do so "viciously".

I admit it is a very convenient argument - if you happen to be human. But it is little more than an intellectual rationalisation of 바카라사이트 institutionalised abuse of one species by ano바카라사이트r. What of those humans whose capacity for reasoning is severely limited? Should we refuse to renew 바카라사이트ir membership of our cosy moral community?

I think society would benefit from a greater respect for all forms of life, regardless of category.

David Fisher Library and Information Services Nottingham Trent University