The Evolution Of American Animal Welfare Concept

China has a fine tradition of caring for animal.However,with the deepening of modernization and urbanization in recent years,traditional animal ethics value is tending to collapse.With the widely application of western science and technology,different new types of torture of animals emerge.In face of increasing phenomena of abusing animals,some scholars in China advocate to introduce foreign animal welfare concept,which has caused heated discussion recently.This article tries to take in-depth analysis on the evolution of American animal welfare concept,and explores the historical reasons’and rules,so as to provide reference for China to introduce and how to introduce animal welfare concept andTo achieve abovementioned research target,this article applied literature analysis and comparison method for research.Firstly,through detailed organization and in-depth analysis on historical materials of American from Paleo-Indian period to nowadays 21st century,the article has described reasons of how American animal welfare concept was introduced and the whole historical process of its evolution.Secondly,through the comparison between American animal welfare concept,Chinese traditional animal ethic and British animal welfare concept,the article has explored the characteristics and rules of American animal welfare concept.Through the above research,this dissertation finds that America did not blindly copy the animal welfare concept from Britain.On the contrary,it accepts the concept of animal welfare selectively on the basis of the actual situation of its own social development.The concept of animal welfare was introduced to North America from the age of colony,but it was abandoned soon because it was not in line with the actual situation in North America at that time.After the Civil War,American started its own animal welfare movement.After that,influenced by liberalism,environmental protection,anti-instrumentalism,new left movement,the civil rights movement and other factors,the British animal welfare concept was accepted gradually,but it was changed by the unique situation of American society and come out as the laboratory animal care,new-welfarism,farm animal care.We should draw some lessons from the evolution history of America concept of farm animal welfare.We should pay attention to the traditional Chinese ethical of animal husbandry and consider the reality of agricultural development in China.This dissertation’s main research contents and structure are as following:Chapter one American animal ethical conceptSpecially introduced North American Indian’s unitary animal ethical concept before the 16th century,introduction of European animal ethical concept,conflict and integration of new and old world animal ethical concept,production of English Puritanism anti-cruelty to animal concept and its transmission to North America,anti-cruelty to animal clauses of Massachusetts Bay Colony,Code of Body of Liberties,and basic information of American anti-cruelty to animal concept from the 18th century to American Civil War.Chapter two The rise of American anti-cruelty to animal movements after American Civil WarSpecifically introduced anti-cruelty to animal movements led by Henry Bergh,George Thorndike Angell,Caroline Earle White after American Civil War.At that time,the emerging of anti-cruelty to animal movements were greatly influenced by Abolition Movement and Moral Improvement Movement after American Civil War.But due to deep-rooted racialism in American society,it has strong characteristic of civilized savage.It was the reason why American anti-cruelty to animal movements tolerated the reckless slaughter of Indians and buffalos.Chapter three Development of American animal welfare concept from World War II to 1980sAfter World War Ⅱ,people started to rethink about the value of life,relationship between technology and ethics,thus American anti-cruelty to animal movements obtained revival.In 1951,Stevens introduce the animal welfare concept with "science" as standard from UK to US,but his effort was strongly opposed by the scientific circle.In the conflicting process,America established the scientist self-discipline system of laboratory animal caring.In 1975,the famous philosopher Peter Singer published the book Animal Liberation,and initiated American Animal Right Movement.In 1980s,Tom Regen summarized the experience of American Animal Right Movement and officially proposed philosophical thinking of animal rights.Under this influence,American Animal Welfare Movement started to unite with radical Animal right MovementChapter four Development of American animal welfare concept after 1990sAfter 1990s,radical Animal right Movement imposed serious threat to American social order,thus it was opposed widely.Therefore,radical Animal right Movement started to change strategies and proposed "New-welfarism" concept so as to find a comprise road between animal welfare and animal rights.In 1990s,farm animal welfare attracted great attention of American public.Influenced by this,American Farm Animal Industry Association started formulating autonomic animal welfare standard.But animal ethnics of individualism at that time was criticized by from environmental ethics of holism due to ignoring the benefits of species and ecological unity.Under the joint effect of Virtue Ethics advocated by McIntyre and care ethics of feminism,American developed the ethical concept of animal caring,emphasizing to focus on individual animal welfare and pay attention to overall interests’ protection.Chapter five is about the characteristics,causes and enlightenment of the evolution of American animal welfare concept.This part campares deeply the different animal welfare concepts between UK and the U.S.,and summed up the reasons.Finally this part gives some advises on how to impove animal welfare in China’s intensive animal farmesThe innovation of this dissertation is that it depicts the process of America’s from refusal to accept the foreign animal welfare concept and the process of localizing.This dissertation also shows the effect of mechanism,liberalism and the environmental movement to American animal welfare concept.At last,this dissertation finds the unique characteristics of American animal welfare concept,that is laboratory animal care,farm animal care and new-welfarism.