What's Wrong with Speciesism? (Society for Applied Philosophy Annual Lecture 2015) |
| |
Authors: | Shelly Kagan |
| |
Institution: | Department of Philosophy, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA |
| |
Abstract: | Peter Singer famously argued in Animal Liberation that almost all of us are speciesists, unjustifiably favoring the interests of humans over the similar interests of other animals. Although I long found that charge compelling, I now find myself having doubts. This article starts by trying to get clear about the nature of speciesism, and then argues that Singer's attempt to show that speciesism is a mere prejudice is unsuccessful. I also argue that most of us are not actually speciesists at all, but rather accept a view I call modal personism. Although I am not confident that modal personism can be adequately defended, it is, at the very least, a philosophical view worthy of further consideration. |
| |
Keywords: | |
|
|