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Sentience and Intrinsic Worth as a Pluralist Foundation for Fundamental Animal Rights
1Alfred Deakin Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Law, Deakin University Law School, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Oxford Journal of Legal Studies
|June 8, 2023
Summary
Animal rights theory needs development. This article proposes using sentience and intrinsic worth to build a pluralist foundation for animal rights, focusing on preventing pain and suffering.
Area of Science:
- Animal Ethics
- Legal Philosophy
- Animal Welfare Science
Background:
- Existing animal welfare protections are insufficient.
- Recognition of animal rights is increasingly advocated by scholars and advocates.
- Current animal rights theory lacks comprehensive development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To contribute to the development of animal rights theory.
- To propose sentience and intrinsic worth as a pluralist foundation for animal rights.
- To explore the benefits of using sentience and intrinsic worth for animal rights.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis of sentience and intrinsic worth.
- Examination of existing legal and philosophical frameworks for rights.
- Argumentation for a pluralist foundation based on proposed concepts.
Main Results:
- Sentience and intrinsic worth offer a robust foundation for animal rights.
- These concepts are already present in many legal systems.
- Sentience aligns with the established interest theory of rights.
- Sentience directly supports rights focused on preventing pain and suffering.
Conclusions:
- Sentience and intrinsic worth provide a strong, pluralist basis for advancing animal rights theory.
- Utilizing these concepts can strengthen legal and ethical arguments for animal rights.
- This approach emphasizes the prevention of animal suffering as a core justification for rights.
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