Research On Peter Singer’s Idea Of Animal Liberation

It has always been the prevailing attitude towards other species that non-human animals are kept out of the realm of ethical concern,while it was the ignorance of human beings to the current living condition of animals that caused our indifference to their suffering.Starting from reflecting on the way we treat life,taking Peter Singer’s works on animal liberation as the main research object,through the disclosure of the status quo of animal survival,we can arouse the public ethical concern for non-human animals and completely abandon the species discrimination,which is the direction that animal liberation strives to pursue and construct.Peter Singer’s animal liberation is the product of a certain era.The ideological emancipation of the enlightenment was against the deep-rooted species discrimination is its theoretical background,while the Bioethics widely arouse in the worsening of the living condition of animals is its social background.With such conflict both in theory and society,the animal liberation emerged at the right time.Peter Singer mainly discusses the basic content of animal liberation from three aspects.One is equal benefits to animals,Peter Singer first advocated that all animals should be equal,in which he thought pain and pleasure perception was the prerequisite for equal consideration of the animals’ interest so we human beings should extend the principle of equality to animals.The other is to stop discriminating against animals,he disclosed all kinds of atrocities human beings inflicted on other animals to describe the typical behaviors of discrimination between scientific research and factory breeding,for which he asked we human beings to stop the ruthless persecution to non-human animals right now.The third is to refuse to eat animals,Peter Singer believes that vegetarianism is the practical path to achieve animal liberation,and only being a vegetarian is the most thorough way to ease the relationship both between human and animals,and human and nature.Peter Singer drew the ethical basis of animal liberation from the history of ethical thought.One is utilitarianism,as a utilitarian,Peter Singer adopted Bentham’s perception of pain as the basic feature of being entitled to equal consideration.The other is the principle of equality,principle of equal consideration is the basis of the principle of equality,and the interests to be considered are not different because of who’s interests.The third is the theory of person,the redefinition of "human being" by the theory of person further elevated the status of non-human animals.The development of Peter Singer’s animal liberation has always been accompanied by controversy.Some controversial issues,such as the self consistency of equality principle and the rationality of vegetarianism,try to respond from singer’s standpoint.The realization of animal liberation requires the joint efforts of all sectors of society,including the improvement of animal protection laws,the improvement of animal protection organizations,the rational use of science and technology,and the gradual improvement of diet structure.Only by linking the forces of all parties and advocating the whole society to build a caring system can the ultimate realization of animal liberation be achieved.