Responsibility to Animals
• What does it mean to respect nonhuman animals in the way we as individuals live our lives?
• How should weweigh human needs and/or desires against those of nonhuman animals?
• What kinds of behaviors would that involve?
• What kinds of behaviors would that exclude?
• Is eatingconsuming meatand/or other animal products(dairy, eggs, leather, etc.)ethical?
• Isit ethical to harm or kill animals for purposes such as scientific research?
• Why do we treat some animalsas pets, or even members of the family,andotherssimplyasresources? Is there a moral justification for this distinction?
• Do we as individualshave moral obligations toward nonhuman animals when our own behavior has very little direct effect on the overall state of things?
• Does a government have an obligation to care for nonhuman animals as well as its humancitizens?