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Paul Thompson Department of Philosophy Michigan State University October 19, 2007 Friday, 3:30pm-5:00pm BA, Room 363 Prospects for various forms of chemical, genetic and technological enhancement of human capabilities have become a central topic in bioethics and the philosophy of technology. This paper enjoins the issue by examining the topic of using these technologies to make non-human animals less than they currently are, specifically as a "technological fix" for animal welfare problems in contemporary livestock production. I will argue that mainstream views in animal ethics as typified by Peter Singer or Tom Regan do not provide very good reasons for thinking that we should not do this, though almost no one who hears such proposals discussed reacts favorably. I will argue that none of the efforts that have been offered so far to reconcile this strong intuitive reaction of disapproval with any pattern of argument in moral theory are very satisfying, but that the most promising strategies shift the focus away from whether any being is harmed or disrespected, and toward questions of moral character in motive and practice of agents. Paul B. Thompson holds the W. K. Kellogg Chair in Agricultural, Food and Community Ethics at Michigan State University, where he is also a professor in the Philosophy, Agricultural Economics and Community, Agriculture, Recreation and Resource Studies Departments. He has engaged in research and teaching on ethical issues associated with food production and consumption for 25 years, and is the author or editor of seven books and over one hundred journal articles and book chapters. His research on the ethics and controversy associated with genetic engineering in food crops and animals has appeared in many outlets, most recently in the book Food Biotechnology in Ethical Perspective 2nd Ed. (Springer, 2007). He is a two-time recipient of the American Agricultural Economics Association Award for Excellence in Communication, and serves as a member on numerous advisory committees, including Genome Canada's Science and Industry Advisory Committee. Thompson is the PI on a National Science Foundation project to examine ethical issues associated with the development of nanotechnologies in agriculture and food.  |
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Last updated 4/8/08 10:33 PM
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