Meet Your Meat
Question 10.
Which of the following does not happen in the “Meet Your Meat” to animals with diseases or injuries on modern factory farms:
The meat is allowed to be “USDA pure”
They are killed for growing too slowly
They are generally given immediate veterinary attention
They are taken to slaughter anyway
Question 11.
What is the point of Regan’s discussion about Aunt Bea and utilitarianism’s respect for human life?
Utilitarianism feels that human life is paramount and not to be sacrificed under any circumstance
Utilitarianism would say that God’s law that “thou shalt not kill” will have very few exceptions
Utilitarianism says that human life has not much value at all, a person can be killed for relatively minor reasons, like stealing their money
Because utilitarianism is aggregative, one individual’s right to life can be overridden in order to save many other people’s lives
Question 12.
When faced with the complaint that utilitarianism is a doctrine worthy of pigs, Mill responds that pleasures differ in:
purity.
quality.
species.
weight.
Question 13.
According to Mill, utilitarian morality holds that:
If each individual strives to maximize their own happiness, the happiness of all will follow.
Each individual is required to sacrifice their own individual happiness for the happiness of all.
With the right social arrangements and education, individuals can come to associate their own individual happiness with the happiness of all.
Neither the happiness of the individual nor the happiness of all is worth pursuing, since neither is attainable in this life.
Question 14.
What does Tom Regan say is the source of inherent value in an individual?
Individuals have equal inherent value by virtue of being experiencing subjects of a life, i.e. conscious beings whose lives matter to them
We have equal inherent value if we are able to experience pain and pleasure, suffering and misery
We do not all have inherent value; only those that live and abide by moral principles have inherent worth
Different societies have different views about what is right and wrong, so the ‘inherent value’ of individuals is relative
Question 15.
Which of the following does Peter Singer assert about the principle of equality?
People should have equal rights because they are factually equal.
People with higher abilities, it stands to reason, should have greater rights.
Different groups of humans should have equal rights if scientific investigation proves that there are no genetic differences in their abilities.
It is a prescription that we should treat people equally regardless of their differing abilities.
Question 16.
Tom Regan’s view of animals is that
They are important but not quite as important as human beings
They have rights, which means that they should never be used for human purposes
They may be ethically used because they were bred and raised for that purpose
That they may be eaten because do not have souls like we do and are lower on the food chain
Question 17.
Which of the following makes it difficult to calculate the utility of an act?
the time frame of the consequences
disagreements about the meaning of pleasure or happiness
determining what constitutes the greatest good
all of the above
Question 18.
What does Singer say about finding the basis for moral duties in the “intrinsic dignity” of humanity?
That God ordained humanity to be the top of the “great chain of being”
That mankind is the most important species because it is the most intelligent
That dolphins have actually been shown to be more intelligent than humans in many respects
That such fine phrases are a last resort for philosophers who cannot find a distinction that gives humans worth while denying it to all other species
Question 19.
What does Tom Regan say about the cruelty/kindness approach to animal ethics?
The best way to explain animal ethics is in terms of our obligation to be kind and not cruel to animals
It is inadequate because it is possible to do wrong while being kind, and it is possible to do wrong without being deliberately cruel
It has no relevance to animal ethics because animals are cruel to each other
You have to be cruel to be kind, in the right measure
Question 20
According to Tom Regan, which of the following should compel us to accept the equal rights of animals?
Sentiment – our feelings for the welfare of animals
Law – legal regulations requiring us to respect the rights of animals
Reason – this theory has the best reasons on its side
Religion – the laws of God mandate human compassion
