Animal Ethics

Animal Ethics was formed to provide information and promote discussion about issues in animal ethics, and to provide resources for animal advocates. Detailed information on the situation of nonhuman animals and the arguments that are often used to defend these animals is not always available. As an organization we aim to provide this information, to benefit those who are interested in helping improve the lives of animals and creating a world in which the interests of all sentient beings are taken into account. Our work deals with the ways in which nonhuman animals are thought about in everyday life, and how they are considered by authorities in sectors that are sometimes concerned with animal welfare (like in academia and the legal system). For example; some of our research considers how animals are harmed by current (and future) human activities. But we are also concerned for the lives of animals that are not directly affiliated with human activities, such as wild animals. Regardless of their living situation, we believe that the harms experienced by animals are important to address. In addition, we conduct outreach against speciesism by attempting to shift peoples attitudes from indifference toward animals to compassion. This makes our work ideological, since other organisations already exist to address specific actions concerning animals. As a topic of study, animal ethics posits why we should value the lives of nonhuman animals, and how we ought to consider their welfare when making moral decisions. This reasoning has the potential to instigate serious social change, given many people's discriminatory attitudes toward animals. Often times speciesist prejudices are unconscious or well-meaning, reflecting ingrained cultural and societal norms regarding the status of nonhuman animals relative to humans. Animal ethics as a study field addresses these issues, and it is our aim to further this discussion by providing up to date and relevant information on it.