DEUTSCHBillo Heinzpeter Studer
On being connected in the right for a good life
In my understanding the welfare of animals is warranted if they can act out their species’ potential and develop their individuality. Avoidance of pain is not decisive here. Why should animals feel well simply because of lack of pain and suffering?
The animal welfare debate is obstructed by the co-mingling of two decisions that should be made: an individual moral one (using animals or not) and a collective ethical one as to how to interact with animals regardless of whether and how they are used.
Renouncing at any form of using other living beings is not an option for humanity. We can however develop a common philosophy by which we acknowledge and respect all forms of life and especially the beings we use.
What about plants? It felt strange to chop a cabbage which I had defended from little slugs for weeks with a sudden cut from its stalk. If plants, too, are sentient in their own way, intelligent and communicative among each other, as studies indicate, the non-use of animals is not the satisfying answer to the question on how we should treat life around us. Whatever morals we may individually choose to follow, it will always fall short compared to the ethical question to be answered collectively by humanity: How do we as super-predators treat life? More…
