Promoting non-human animal welfare: A different approach

Tom Regan, Joel Feinberg, and Gary Francione have argued that non-human animals have rights which humans are obligated to respect. Activists in the animal rights movement have deployed their arguments in order to further their goals and over the last few decades and have made some significant gains. It is apparent that rights discourse has won many people over to the side of the animal rights movement. Rights have radically altered how many people treat non-human animals, as evidenced by growing numbers of vegetarians and vegans. But I argue that promoting non-human animal welfare requires more than rights discourse; it requires humane education, too. There are a number of reasons why I argue for emphasizing humane education. First, I argue in chapter one that rights are abstract concepts and lack common appeal. Humane education addresses our emotions and feelings towards non-human animals, which gives it such appeal. Second, I argue in chapter five that our actions flow from our characters and are not simply the products of our rational decisions. Humane education cultivates our characters so that we develop a set of traits that help us respond to non-human animals with love and kindness. To be clear, I have in mind a particular version of humane education to promote nonhuman animal welfare. It is inspired by the moral theory of David Hume, which I outline in chapter two. I call it a "Humean humane education," accordingly. The main idea behind it is that raising people with certain kinds of moral sensibilities is the majority of the legwork in the task of ending non-human animal exploitation. I explore some of the details of a Humean humane education in chapter five to conclude my thesis.