美文分享：Animals have rights（上）

　　BeforetheEnlightenmentMovement,peoplethoughtanimalsareinferiortohumanbeings.However,JeremyBenthamputforwardthenewideathathumanbeingshavedutiestotreatanimalsequally(Yip,Jerome＆Oweida,2016).Sincethen,peopleshowdifferentopinionstowardthisissue.Itishardtojudgewhetheranimalshaverightsornot.Onetheonehand,somepeoplethinkthatanimalshavenorights.Ontheotherhand,somepeoplethinkanimalsdohaverights--althoughanimalsaredifferentfromhumanbeingsinsomeconditionssuchasdegreeofcognition,theyhavesentientabilityandintelligence,lifeandliveintheworld,andinnervalue.Theyshouldbegivenrights.

　　Animalshaverightsbecausetheyhavesensibilityandlittlebitintelligence.Jena(2015)arguesthatpainofanimalscanbeeasilyknowthanpainofhumanbeingssinceanimalshavenoenoughabilitytocontrolbehavior.Inthiscondition,manyphilosophersthoughtthat“sentience”isthequalifyingstandardforgiverightstolivingbeings.(Jena,2015).Forinstance,ifapersonhasapet,likeacat,heorsheshouldcleanseit.Inthisbehavior,thepersonpullsthefurofthecat.Thecatwouldscreamandprobablywouldavoidtheperson’stouch.Thisexampleindicatesthatanimalshavesensibilityandcanfeelpain.Thesensibilityisa“necessaryconditionforhavingrights.”(Jena,2015).

　　Likewise,thepet’sexampleimpliesthatanimalsdohaveintelligence,becauseanimalnotonlydosomebehaviorstoreactpainbutalsostayawaysourcewhichcausepain.SimilarlyJenaalsoillustratesanexampleaboutadog,andJena(2015)saysthatthereactionofdoghappenssinceitrecognizestheconsequenceofthebehavioranditisnotbecauseofitsinstinct.(Jena,2015).Thisbehaviormeansanimalshaveintelligence.Theyarepossessedofrights.