Immoral and Moral Uses of Animals

Abstract

Hoff debates the morality of the painful exploitation of animals,\nparticularly in medical research, for human benefit. She advances several\nphilosophical arguments for the unique characteristics of human beings that\nentitle them to moral consideration, but rejects the claim that animals have\nno moral standing. Distinctions between the rights of people and animals must\nbe recognized, however, and a person's life generally takes precedence over\nthat of an animal. Hoff concludes that, because animals experience pain and\nbecause they enjoy some moral claims (although these are inferior to those of\nhumans), it is wrong to use them in painful and dangerous experiments unless\nmajor benefits for humans or other animals will result. (KIE abstract)