Animal ethics and public expectations: the North American outlook

Recent social science research on the American public's attitudes toward the welfare of food animals tracks closely with a difficult-to-resolve philosophical issue. One side interprets welfare in terms of the way that a given animal is faring in a production setting. This view emphasizes the animal's medical condition and cognitive well-being. The other view derives norms for welfare from a conception of what is natural for an animal of a given species. This view presumes that an animal does well when it is living according to its nature. Both of these approaches reflect traditions of ethical thinking that have long histories of application to human and non-human animals, and each appears to have a significant constituency among the public. Each view implies a different approach and different standards for livestock welfare. The fact that this philosophical debate has a history dating back to ancient times suggests that it will not be resolved easily.