Lives in the Balance: Utilitarianism and Animal Research
Lives in the Balance: Utilitarianism and Animal Research
This chapter precisely clarifies those inputs that are needed in order to make a fully informed utilitarian judgment. It offers an extended discussion of the bearing of utilitarianism upon practices of animal research. It describes some of what needs to be taken into account in a utilitarian assessment. It then addresses what it is reasonable to think the human benefits of animal research are. It considers what the animal harms are and how they are to be weighed in comparison with human benefit. This chapter suggests that it is hard to see any utilitarian justification for institutionalized animal research.
Keywords: utilitarian judgment, utilitarianism, animal research, human benefits, animal harms, utilitarian justification
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