environmental ethics

Exercise: Environmental Ethics/Animal Rights

Answer all questions by filing the bubbles on you scantron sheets. Exactly one answer to each question is best and thus is correct.

1. Peter Singer would agree that
A) pointless cruelty to animals is morally wrong; we ought to eliminate such cruelty.
B) in general, it is wrong to experiment on animals and to raise them for food.
C) in general, it is morally permissible to use animals to satisfy important human interests; in particular, it is permissible to experiment on animals and to raise them for food.
D) A) and B)
E) A) and C)

2. The following principle is endorsed (accepted) by Singer: If A has higher intelligence than B, then it is morally permissible to use B for the purposes of A.
A) TRUE B) FALSE

3. According to Singer (and also Stef), the best arguments for changing our traditional attitudes to animals are based on the following claim
A) vegetarians have a healthy diet
B) the traditional attitudes involve killing animals and, prima facie, killing animals is seriously wrong
C) the traditional attitudes cause animals enormous suffering and, prima facie, it is wrong to cause such suffering to anyone.
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

4. According to Singer, the most fundamental principle of equality is the following:
A) Only factually identical beings ought to be treated equally.
B) The interests of every being that has interests are to be taken into account and treated equally with the interests of any other being.
C) The rights of beings who have inherent value must be respected, and this includes animals
D) All of the above.
E) None of the above

5. According to Tom Regan, the most fundamental moral principle can be formulated as follows:
A) Only factually identical beings ought to be treated equally.
B) The interests of every being that has interests are to be taken into account and treated equally with the interests of any other being.
C) The rights of beings who have inherent value must be respected, and this includes animals
D) All of the above.
E) None of the above

6. According to Regan (and Singer), most experiments on animals
A) are necessary to advance vital human needs
B) are morally permissible
C) A and B
D) are morally wrong
E) none of the above.

7. According to Singer
A) we have adequate evidence that animals can suffer
B) we have pretty good evidence that some plants feel rudimentary suffering and pleasure
C) both A) and B)
D) we cannot know that animals suffer because they do not talk

8. According to lectures the following features are relevant from the moral point of view
A) how tall / heavy someone is
B) what is one's color
C) what is one's gender or race
D) what is one's intelligence
E) how much would someone suffer, would someone's interests be satisfied or frustrated.

9. According to protracted humanism the natural environment must be protected and respected because
A) such protection is good for current and future humans
B) such protection is good for humans and animals
C) humanistic attitudes include natural landscapes
D) all of the above
E) none of the above.

10. According to Extensionism the natural environment must be protected and respected because
A) such protection is good for current and future humans
B) such protection is good for humans and animals
C) humanistic attitudes include natural landscapes
D) all of the above
E) none of the above.

11. According to eco-centrism the natural environment must be protected and respected because
A) such protection is good for humans
B) eco-systems have intrinsic value
C) neither A) nor B)

13. According to Callicott, Regan's Extensionism
A) does not give fully adequate protection to animals
B) does not give fully adequate protection to natural objects and eco-systems
C) A and B
D) has the absurd consequence that vegetarianism is obligatory
E) all of the above.

14. According to Callicott's view, we must treat with respect the following
A) individual plants
B) individual animals
C) rivers and rocks
D) all of the above.

15. Callicott believes and argues that
A) we must rapidly scale down human populations by employing violent means
B) land ethics implies that we must employ violent means to scale down our population
C) land ethics may imply we should scale down our population gradually
D) there is no need to scale down human population.
E) none of the above

16. Callicott argues that
A) there is no need to become vegetarian
B) vegetarianism is a sound environmental policy
C) we have no reason to become vegetarians
C) vegetarians like Singer or Regan are fascists
D) if we become vegetarians it will be hard to feed the human population.

17. According to Stef's lectures, we can find a strong reason to believe that
A) mere rocks and plants are intrinsically valuable
B) species are intrinsically valuable
C) forests are intrinsically valuable
D) all of the above

18. According to Stef's lectures, such natural objects as the Grand Canyon
A) cannot be intrinsically valuable because they do not feel anything
B) can be intrinsically valuable because they are really living organisms
C) can be intrinsically valuable because they are beautiful
D) have moral rights.

A N S W E R S
_________________________

1D); 2) The following principle is endorsed (accepted) by Singer: If A has higher intelligence than B, then it is morally permissible to use B for the purposes of A.
A) TRUE B) FALSE

3. According to Singer (and also Stef), the best arguments for changing our traditional attitudes to animals are based on the following claim
C) the traditional attitudes cause animals enormous suffering and, prima facie, it is wrong to cause such suffering to anyone.

4. According to Singer, the most fundamental principle of equality is the following: B) The interests of every being that has interests are to be taken into account and treated equally with the interests of any other being.

5. According to Tom Regan, the most fundamental moral principle can be formulated as follows: C) The rights of beings who have inherent value must be respected, and this includes animals

Notice that Regan is a deontologist, a neo-kantian. Like Kant, he thinks that certain kinds of beings (those who have inherent value) must be treated with respect., must not be used merely as a means (even if it maximizes utility). Unlike Kant, he thinks that animals have intrinsic value

6. According to Regan (and Singer), most experiments on animals D) are morally wrong .

7. According to Singer: A) we have adequate evidence that animals can suffer

8. According to lectures the following features are relevant from the moral point of view E) how much would someone suffer, would someone's interests be satisfied or frustrated.

9. According to protracted humanism the natural environment must be protected and respected because
A) such protection is good for current and future humans

10. According to Extensionism the natural environment must be protected and respected because B) such protection is good for humans and animals

11. According to eco-centrism the natural environment must be protected and respected because
B) eco-systems have intrinsic value

12. According to Callicott, Singer's Extensionism
A) does not give fully adequate protection to animals
B) does not give fully adequate protection to natural objects and eco-systems
--> C) A and B
Notice that Regan makes a similar criticism of Singer. Regan thinks that Singer would have nothing to say about "family farming," because such farming is seemingly good both for humans and for animals. Regan would argue against such farming on the grounds that it still uses an animal merely as a means.

13. According to Callicott, Regan's Extensionism
--> B) does not give fully adequate protection to natural objects and eco-systems

14. According to Callicott's view, we must treat with respect the following
A) individual plants
B) individual animals
C) rivers and rocks
--> D) all of the above.

15. Callicott believes and argues that
A) we must rapidly scale down human populations by employing violent means
B) land ethics implies that we must employ violent means to scale down our population
--> C) land ethics may imply we should scale down our population gradually
D) there is no need to scale down human population.
E) none of the above

16. Callicott argues that
C) we have no reason to become vegetarians

Callicott is primarily concerned with an environment as a whole. But vegetarianism is a sound environmental policy (for it limits pollution, conserves energy, is an efficient way to produce food, etc.)

I think that beauty may be intrinsically valuable. So, some environmental concerns are justified on the grounds that we protect beauty.

18. According to Stef's lectures, such natural objects as the Grand Canyon
A) cannot be intrinsically valuable because they do not feel anything
B) can be intrinsically valuable because they are really living organisms
--> C) can be intrinsically valuable because they are beautiful
D) have moral rights.

Professional Ethics