What Are Animal Rights

Animal rights are the belief that animals have a right to be free of human use and exploitation, but there  is a great deal of confusion about what that means. Animal rights are not about putting animals above humans or giving animals the same rights as humans. Also, animal rights are very different from animal welfare. To most animal rights activists, animal rights are grounded in a rejection of  speciesism  and the knowledge that animals have sentience (the ability to suffer). (Learn more about the  basic tenets of animal rights.) Freedom from Human Use and Exploitation Humans use and exploit animals in myriad ways, including  meat,  milk,  eggs,  animal experimentation, fur,  hunting, and  circuses. With the possible exception of animal experimentation, all of these uses of animals are frivolous. People dont need meat, eggs, milk, fur, hunting or circuses. The American Dietetic Association  recognizes  that people can be perfectly healthy as vegans. Regarding animal experimentation, most would agree that testing of cosmetics and household products is unnecessary. A new furniture polish or lipstick seems a frivolous reason to the blind, maim,  and kill hundreds or thousands of rabbits.   Many would also say that scientific experimentation on animals for the sake of science, with no immediate, obvious application to human health, is unnecessary because the suffering of the animals outweighs the satisfaction of human curiosity. This leaves only medical experiments. While animal experimentation may lead to human medical advancements, we cannot morally justify exploiting animals for experiments any more than experiments on mental patients or babies can be justified. Justifications for Animal Exploitation The most common justifications for animal use are: Animals are not intelligent (cannot think/reason).Animals are not as important as people.Animals have no duties.God put animals here for us to use. Rights cannot be determined by the ability to think, or wed have to give intelligence tests to determine which humans deserve rights. This would mean that babies, the mentally disabled and the mentally ill would have no rights. Importance is not a good criterion for rights holding because importance is highly subjective and individuals have their own interests that make each individual important to him/herself. One person may find that their own pets are more important to them than a stranger on the other side of the world, but that doesnt give them the right to kill and eat that stranger. The President of United States might be more important than most people, but that doesnt give the president the right to kill people and mount their heads on the wall as trophies. One could also argue that a single blue whale is more important than any single human being because the species is endangered and every individual is needed to help the population recover. Duties are also not good criteria for rights holding because individuals who are incapable of recognizing or performing duties, such as babies or people with profound disabilities, still have a right not be eaten or experimented on. Furthermore, animals are routinely killed for failing to follow human rules (e.g., the mouse who is killed in a mousetrap), so even if they have no duties, we punish them for failing to abide by our expectations. Religious beliefs are also an inappropriate determination of rights holding because religious beliefs are highly subjective and personal. Even within a religion,  people will disagree  about what God dictates. We shouldnt impose our religious beliefs on others, and using religion to justify animal exploitation imposes our religion on the animals. And keep in mind that the Bible was once used to justify the enslavement of Africans and African Americans in the United States, demonstrating how people often use religion as an excuse to further their personal beliefs. Because there will always be some humans who dont fit the criteria used to justify animal exploitation, the only true distinction between humans and non-human animals are species, which is an arbitrary line to draw between which individuals do and dont have rights. There is no magical dividing line between humans and non-human animals. The Same Rights as Humans? There is a common misconception that animal rights activists want nonhuman animals to have the same rights as people. No one wants cats to have the right to vote, or for dogs to have the right to bear arms. The issue is not whether animals should have the same rights as people, but whether we have a right to use and exploit them for our purposes, however, frivolous they might be. Animal Rights v. Animal Welfare Animal rights are  distinguishable from animal welfare. In general, the term animal rights is the belief that humans do not have a right to use animals for our own purposes. Animal welfare is the belief that humans do have a right to use animals as long as the animals are treated humanely. The animal rights position on  factory farming  would be that we do not have a right to  slaughter animals for food  no matter how well the animals are treated while they are alive, while the animal welfare position might want to see certain  cruel practices  eliminated. Animal welfare describes a broad spectrum of views, while animal rights are more absolute. For example, some animal welfare advocates might want a ban on fur, while others might believe that fur is morally acceptable if the animals are killed humanely and do not suffer for too long in a trap. Animal welfare may also be used describe the speciesist view that certain animals (e.g. dogs, cats, horses) are more deserving of protection than others (e.g. fish, chickens, cows).

Perception in the metamorphosis - 1256 Words

The role of perception in Gregor Samsas identity crisis (Question 2) Tabula Rasa- the theory that individuals are born without essence and are shaped by knowledge and perception- is quite dubious. To what extent does the fact that multiple perceptions of a human being exist affect their identity? German-language writer Franz Kafkas novella The Metamorphosis and one of its themes of the struggle to define ones identity answers some of these questions. Published in 1915, this story is a fictitious account of the protagonist, Gregor Samsas transformation into a gigantic bug and the series of events which occur as he and those around him attempt to adjust to this outrageous transmutation. Throughout the novella, we see Samsa†¦show more content†¦Gregors transformation starts to affect him mentally only once the familys horror at his new appearance was apparent. Their shock confirmed to him his animal identity, and their perception of him as a fearful creature started to affect his mindset. The point that Kafka stresses on consistently throug hout his novella is the familys utter disregard and lack of any appreciation towards Gregors endless contributions to their wellbeing. As Gregor toiled endlessly on a horrid job, his parents fuelled his dehumanisation by supporting his one-sided contributions to them. They perceived Gregor to be their only source of financial backing, and so he started to morph into a machine-like creature under their impression, over the years. For example, when the family becomes aware of Gregor being late, his father can only panic about Gregor having missed the early train. Such behaviour led to Gregors isolation over the years, adding to his mental transformation into the monstrous vermin which he became under his familys projections onto him and his continuous self sacrifice. Kafka emphasizes Gregors impressionable character when he says He (Gregor) was a tool....without brains or a backbone (Kafka 5). 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The world does not see eye to eye to what we see. In The Metamorph osis written by Franz Kafka, the protagonist Gregor Samsa, over the course of one night, suddenly transformed into a â€Å"monstrous vermin.† Gregor is now physically separated by his family who can only perceive him as his bug-like structure, which results in the disintegration of his emotional turmoil and ultimately death. The exposition of The Metamorphosis beings with a small little room that is symmetrical in every mannerRead MoreAnalysis Of Kafka s The Metamorphosis 989 Words   |  4 PagesRalph Freedman’s critical essay titled â€Å"Kafka’s Obscurity† on Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis delves into the idea that from changes in the protagonist’s physical limitations, familial bonds, and his being â€Å"[he] is finally reduced to a mere speck of self-awareness which is ultimately extinguished† (Freedman 131). 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Franz Kafka creates a hideous creature, a monstrous insect, to show how he feels in his reality. Gregor, in Metamorphosis, is a tool for Kafka to psychoanalyze his perceived deficiency in society and communicate his contemplations on his meaning in life. Franz Kafka s estrangement from his family and societyRead MoreReview Of Franz Kafka s The Metamorphosis 958 Words   |  4 PagesThere are several aspects about the writing of Franz Kafka that make it enticing to the reader and tantalizing enough to keep the reader intrigued. The narrative that I find most intriguing by Kafka is The Metamorphosis. The Metamorphosis is a tale wherein Kafka essentially gives his perception of the story of his life through the use of storytelling devices, which without the use of them would have made it a less interesting tale. Franz Kafka was born on July 3rd, 1883. Kafka was a German writer

Impact of Jet Free Essays

C IMPACT OF JET EXPERIMENT 1 Aim To find the impact force caused by a fluid jet on a horizontal plate and a hemispherical shell and compare it with the expected theoretical force. 2 Theory When a rubber ball strikes a solid surface it nicely rebounds from the solid surface. The amount of rebound would depend on the coefficient of restitution. We will write a custom essay sample on Impact of Jet or any similar topic only for you Order Now However, when a steady fluid jet strikes a solid surface, it does not rebound. But, a stream of fluid is formed which moves over the surface and the fluid leaves the surface tangentially. If a fluid jet is impacting a horizontal plate, at an angle ? the rate of change of momentum can be equated to the force exerted by the jet on the plate. When a vertical fluid jet strikes a horizontally positioned plate, the value of ? will be 90Â °. A control volume analysis can be performed to give the force F = ? QV, (1) where ? is the density of the water, Q is the jet flow rate and V is the velocity of the jet. For the case of a hemispherical shell when the stream of water is turned back by 180o, the force experienced by the shell will be F = 2? QV, (2) two times the force experienced by the flat plate. Experimental Set-up The set up consists of a closed cylindrical container housing the horizontal plate/hemispherical shell to receive the impact of the jet. The vertical water jet is produced by a pump forcing water through a nozzle of diameter 6mm for the flat plate and of diameter 8mm for the hemispherical set up. The flow rate through the nozzle is measured by a rotameter. The velocity of jet could be obtained by knowing the flow rate. 4 Experimental Procedure Switch on the motor and using the two gate valves control the flow rate. Place suitable weights to counter balance the impact force of the liquid jet. When the load is higher than the impact load of the jet, the jet will be blocked by the plate. When the load is low the load arm will rise up and touch the top part of the housing. Adjust the flow rate for any selected weight so that the load arm stays in the middle of the distance from the nozzle tip to the top part of the housing. Ensure that the steady flow rate is maintained and take at least six independent measurements by choosing six different flow rates that would balance the weights. Important steps 1 Allow the float to be steady before you start noting down the readings. 2 Ensure that the fluid jet nicely counter balances the weight it is carrying. Flat plate S. No. Flow Rate Q (m3/s) Velocity V (m/s) Force (Experimental) Fex (N) Force (Theoretical) Fth (N) S. No. Flow Rate Q (m3/s) Hemispherical shell Velocity V (m/s) Force (Experimental) Fex (N) Force (Theoretical) Fth (N) 5 Results and Discussion Plot the following graphs. Fex vs Fth 2. Fex/(1/2 ? V2 A) vs Re=Vd/? , where A is the area of cross section of the jet and Re is the Reynolds number of the jet 1. The graphs for the flat plate and the hemispherical shell should be plotted on the same graph. Based on these plots answer the following questions 1. Do a control volume formulation to derive (1) and (2). 2. Why is the force independent of the area of the plate/shell? 3. What is the slope of the Fex vs F th plot. What should the ideal value of this slope be? If the slope is different from the ideal value, why is it different. 4. What non dimensional number is the y axis of the second plot? What is the significance of the variation this non dimensional number that you observe from your experiments? How to cite Impact of Jet, Papers

Elmer Kelton Essay Example For Students

Elmer Kelton Essay In Elmer Keltons â€Å"Politically Correct or Historically Correct† he mentionsabout the way people see and describe historical events. Some people can describean event completly diffrent then how another person is describing it simplybecause it was seen in a different way then the other person. In fact, it could evenbe because one of the people is describing or telling the event the way it was toldto him by someone else or simply because it is the way that he wants to interpretthat event. Many of the people that write about historical events have a tendencyto leave the bad side of it and always talke about the good side of things. Most of the historical books where written by men, or that is what mostpeople think. It is very difficult to find a book written by a women especially if itwas in the West. Kelton stated that there were books written by women but it wasdifficult to find them. Actually this is true, but it has changed, through out theyear, there have been more books written by women and other minorities. Kelton also talks about some civilizations that were established to the south,in Mexico, like Aztecs, and Mayan, and about how they were built by fighting,enslaving, sacrifices and the destruction of others. This kind of gives you an ideaof how these civilizations came about in Mexico and what kind of civilized peoplethey were. Indian tirbe would fight about everything, most would not recognize othertribes as the same race, but as being a different tribe, an enemy. Many of thepeople from these tribes were killed because of a battle that arose over huntingrights or simply because they were diffrent. A lot of the things that Elmer Kelton talks about in his work â€Å"Politically Correct orHistorically Correct† is just to inform the readers that history did not alwayshappen the way it is described, written or told by historians and writers. Somepeople see history in different ways for the simple fact that they do not see them inthe same way or from the same angle. I found Elmer Keltons work to beinformative for the simple reason that it talks about some things that other booksdont even mention and things that people could never know unless people were toactually taslk to someone that was present through out many of the historicalevents through out time. History Essays