ethics and animals

A noble person, according to Aristotle, is one who has the right motivations as well as traits and responsibilities (Aristotle, 1931). It is possible for a person to be a virtuous farmer when it comes to farming. In this case, an individual upholds moral duties that favor the animals that the person raises. The person may obtain approval for cases that do not endanger animals. People put a high emphasis on livestock raising. Animals are essential for both food production and supply. Others, such as canine dogs, train them solely for companionship. In accordance with Aristotle, some of the virtues that define a person include of friendship, courage and not limited to justice. He further defines friendship as the act of loving instead of getting love, and it is of importance if it gets active (Aristotle, 1931).

For a farmer to effectively raise these animals, an individual needs to be friendly to these animals and treat them in a morally staged manner that exhibits justice. Animals equally have rights that people have to respect (Regan, 2001). The animals need to receive fair treatment by Aristotle’s understanding of justice which involves maintaining proper balance. The just treatment may involve proper and balanced feeding that enhances their proper growth. The industrial firms have no existing policies that ensure animals receive just treatment. In most cases, these animals often get mishandled. Farmers often don’t value the animals by viewing them in a friendly way. Instead, they get seen as a source of revenue upon sales. The farmers, therefore, subject the animals to unfavorable environments, unlike virtuous farmers.

References

Regan, T. (2001). Defending animal rights. Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Press.

Slote, M. (1995). Agent-based virtue ethics. Midwest Studies in Philosophy, 20(1), 83-101.

Aristotle. (1931). Nicomachean ethics (W.D. Ross, Trans.). Retrieved from http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/nicomachaen.html