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Peter Singer, a professor of philosophy and director of the Centre of Human Bioethics at Monash University argues that “the effects of environmental actions on non-humans should figure directly in our deliberations about what we ought to do” Singer (p161). He further states that “Because animals can feel pleasure and pain and have the capacity for subjective experience, they can therefore be said to have interests that we must not ignore” Singer (p161).
However, it is rather clear that non-humans bear the most direct burden of environmental interference by humans thus strengthening the author’s argument, as most non-human entities depend on humans. All human actions to the environment have consequences for non-humans. The view that human actions have only minimal effects on non-human has no intrinsic moral significance and can only be revealed as being arbitrary and morally indefensible. What is really morally significant is the existence of suffering, rather than the race of the sufferer.
Singer also asserts that “as for plants, though there have been sensational claims that plants are not only conscious, but even psychic, there is no hard evidence that supports even the more modest claims” Singer (p164). The ranges of assumptions are vast such that the interests shift from being strong to being virtually certain to be so feeble as to be highly improbable. The principle of equal consideration of interests must be applied with this in mind so that where there is a clash between a virtually certain interest and a highly doubtful one, it is the virtually certain interests that ought to prevail.
However, we may recognize that the interests of one being, are greater than those of another and equal considerations will then lead us to sacrifice the being with lesser interests if one must be sacrificed. Given a choice to decide between saving the life of a normal human being and that of a dog or a similar non-human, we might well decide to save the human because he, with his greater awareness and understanding of what is going to happen, will suffer more before he dies, unlike the non-human form. Also taken into account, is the likelihood that his family and friends are the ones that will suffer. The human would also have a greater potential for future happiness.
‘In one sense of right, we may say that it follows immediately from the fact that animals come within the scope of the principles of equal consideration of interests that they have at least, the right to equal consideration” Singer (p165). It is a necessary foundation for having rights, then a right in itself. On this view, rights are essentially contractual and hence cannot exist unless both parties involved are capable of honoring the contract. The timber and meat industries do not respect some principles thus the ensuing deliberations affect the environment and can be used as an example to test the theories.
Hence, in conclusion to this effect, we can summarily state that the existence of non-human living things should enter into our deliberations regarding actions affecting the environment. Where our actions are liable to make animals endure hardships, the suffering must be considered in our deliberations, and it should count equally with a like amount of suffering by human beings, in so far as rough comparisons can be made.
References
Singer, Peter. All Animals Are Equal. New York: Philosophic Exchange, 1999.
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