Tuesday Blog: Week Eight

Through out all the books I have read this semester, Animal Liberation by Peter Singer fascinated me the most. This book covered an entire spectrum of problems relating to animal rights, and also provided the readers with the most productive rational as to why they should make a change in their lives. After finishing this book, I learned more about what I can do as an individual to make a difference in the fight for animal rights. This book and listening to a speech by Peter Singer himself in person has inspired me to change the way I live and that is why I chose a quote said by Singer for my last quote blog this semester. Although this quote was not said in the book, it is still very powerful and I believe it encompasses the overall themes of the animal rights movement. 

Source: arzone.ning.com

"Animals, or at least those who are conscious and capable of suffering or enjoying their lives, are not things for us to use in whatever way we find convenient." ~ Peter Singer

Source: animalethics.org

This quote perfectly encompasses everything that the animal rights movement stands for. I brigs up many things that I covered this quarter in my analytical blogs and ultimately connects back to my essential questions which I created at the beginning of the quarter. In this quote, Singer is basically explaining why it is wrong to use animal for our benefit at the cost of their suffering. One of the main arguments brought up in all of the books I read was the idea of cognition. The concept of animal cognition is relevant to this quote because it brings up the idea that all living things which are capable of cognition should not be subjected to any type of pain or suffering, especially none that humans impose on them. This suffering consists of many things including the injustices I read about in the other books. Some of them include, animal testing such as Deafferentation and the Draize eye test,but also things as the treatment of animals in slaughter houses and inhumane breeding. All of theses animals are capable of cognition, and even the book which was opposed to animal rights admitted that most animals are capable of feeling and thinking. The book which opposed giving animals rights said that animals should never come before humans, ad that is true. But as singer implies i this quote and many others, animals are not more important that people, but they must be treated with equal respect. In conclusion, this quote encompasses my largest take away from this quarter which is to treat all beings with respect and to try not to benefit from others losses.

The video below explains this idea very well ad would be worth while to check out.