segunda-feira, 27 de fevereiro de 2012

Disvalue in the Natural World: Should We Intervene to Reduce Animal Suffering in Nature?

Faculdade de Letras da Universidade de Lisboa
2 de Março – 14:30
Sala Mattos Romão
Entrada Livre – Lotação Limitada


Oscar Horta
University of Santiago de Compostela


ABSTRACT:

Many people think nonhuman animals live great lives in the wild. However, this view is wrong. Population dynamics teach us that the overwhelming majority of the animals that come to existence in nature die shortly after. Those deaths are often painful. Furthermore, those who survive often suffer and die from malnutrition, disease, accidents, harsh weather conditions, fear, etc., or are killed by predators or parasites. This gives us a strong reason to intervene in nature to reduce the harms animals suffer. We may reject this if we think (i) that only human interests count; (ii) that alleged impersonal values such as environmental ideals count for more than the interests of sentient beings; or (iii) that intervention in nature cannot succeed. However, there are powerful arguments to reject all these claims. If they are right, there is a strong case for intervention in nature for the sake of nonhuman animals. This also entails that if the interests of individuals count significantly beyond what speciesist anthropocentric views assume, we must defend the interests of nonhuman animals over environmentalist concerns.

Organização
Centro de Filosofia da Universidade de Lisboa
Sub-Grupo de Ética, Filosofia Política e Filosofia do Ambiente