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The Well-Being of Animals


            In a world where over a hundred and fifty billion animals are killed yearly, one question remains: do animals have rights? (adaptt.org) In scenarios where people have pets, it seems obvious that these animals do have rights because they are treated as another member of the family. But what about the cattle or chicken that are bred their entire lives just to be someone's dinner? Animals can be said to have "rights" or to be worthy of moral consideration for multiple reasons but only to an extent. Even the smartest animals (besides humans) like dolphins and chimpanzees have their limitations. When looking at the two pillars of morality - reciprocity and empathy, it is easy to consider animal rights. But humans have evolving morality which sets a higher standard than that of animals. This is because humans are capable of concepts such as religion and culture which advance morality to a whole new level that animals cannot fathom. Based on this, animals do deserve rights, just not at the same level as human rights. Animals are worthy of moral consideration because they have the intelligence enough to be domesticated, can feel emotions such as pain and happiness, can care about the well-being of others, and play a critical role in the circle of life.
             Animals are typically seen as living organisms that act on instinct for survival. But not everyone thinks about how they also have a sense of consciousness that allows for them to make decisions about how to behave. One example is domestication of pets. All sorts of animals can be trained to act civilized, from cockroaches and skunks to dogs and cats (animalplanet.com). If a human trains their pet the morally correct way, then they're going to have to respect the pet accordingly. For instance, an owner starts to train their new puppy. The puppy will obey properly if the owner treats their pet fairly. By being consistent in rewarding them appropriately and giving a break when they need it, a pet will learn to obey.


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