Britannica
Sources used in this answer
Which qualities have philosophers used to decide whether animals deserve moral consideration?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Animal rights
A PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) demonstration in Seoul, South Korea, against the use of animals for fur in clothing.
In the field of applied ethics, philosophers have proposed several qualities to determine whether animals deserve moral consideration, moving beyond traditional anthropocentric views that prioritize humans. These criteria are central to debates regarding moral standing:12
- Sentience and the capacity to suffer: Influential thinkers like Peter Singer and Jeremy Bentham argue that the ability to feel pain and experience pleasure is the fundamental condition for having interests. Because animals can suffer, they have an interest in avoiding pain, which necessitates moral consideration.134
- Being the "subject of a life": Philosopher Tom Regan argues that some animals possess inherent value because they are "the subject of a life," possessing advanced cognitive abilities similar to those that justify moral rights in humans.42
- Life itself: Biocentrism posits that being alive is the only nonarbitrary criterion for moral standing, as all living things have a "good of their own" and aim toward natural goals.2
Conversely, some philosophers have historically excluded animals from moral consideration by citing the lack of rationality, moral autonomy, language use, or the possession of an immortal soul.134