Kant And Mill On Animal Ethics Essay - 1365 Words

In this essay I will begin by explaining the overall views of Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mill, then compare and contrast the ideas and philosophies of Kant and Mill on Animal Ethics. I believe that Kant, the deontologist, will not care as much about the duty/responsibility between humans and animals as Mill, the utilitarian, who will see the extreme importance of animal ethics. After studying and explaining the views and teachings of these two philosophers I will see if my thesis was correct, and choose which philosopher to side with. First, I would like to address the teachings of Immanuel Kant. Kant is known for his studies of deontology, or duty ethics, which is â€Å"an approach to Ethics that focuses on the rightness or wrongness of actions themselves, as opposed to the rightness or wrongness of the consequences of those actions (consequentialism) or to the character and habits of the actor (virtue ethics).† (Mastin) Kant specializes in many ideas, but the ideas I wil l focus on are: the will, good will, the categorical imperative, and the principle of humanity. First we’ll start with the will. Kant likes to focus on the will that can only be found in â€Å"rational beings†, which Kant defines as those capable of moral deliberation (humans). Kant states â€Å"the will is a capacity to choose only that which reason independently of inclination cognizes as practically necessary, that is, as good.†(Kant) In other words, â€Å"the will is nothing more than the capacity for practicalShow MoreRelatedThe Ethical Argument For Veganism1685 Words   |  7 PagesUtilitarianism defined by John Stuart Mill, and Deontological ethics according to Immanuel Kant. Through the use of these theories, I will justify the moral worth and legitimacy of the animal welfare debate that is often used to promote a cruelty-free and vegan lifestyle by analyzing questions of animal sentience, the worth of an animal’s happiness, and the right humanity supposedly has to the lives of other living creatures. 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