'Why if at all should we treat animals equally with humans?'

Ethics of Social Philosophy Assignment 'Why if at all should we treat animals equally with humans?' I believe in order to answer this question we have to ask what is Equality? Philosophers such as Descartes have said that animals have similarities with machines, and given this fact it is a perfectly good enough reason to treat them like machines, and test on them, the fact that they screamed under stress meant nothing more than machines making noises. In this assignment, im going to outline the extent of animal cruelty and try to give fair reasoning on why animals should be treated equally with humans. In order to create a fair argument im going to break up my assignment into sub-headings therefore, making my points easier to understand. Racism and Speciesism; I'm going to begin by examining Racism and how in today's society we see it as morally unjust, and how it is seen as one of the most important issues in the world to date. When talking about equality to animals, it is surely wrong to compare it to such an important moral issue. As quoted 'How can anyone waste time on equality for animals, when so many humans are denied real equality?' However animal equality is easy to dismiss as 'there animals,' however Jeremy Bentham 'The founding father of Utilitarianism' said the question is not can they reason? Nor can they talk? But, can they suffer? Bentham goes on to

  • Word count: 1097
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Biological Sciences
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How do methodological considerations affect the interpretation of behaviour in the learning perspective?

How do methodological considerations affect the interpretation of behaviour in the learning perspective? The learning perspective has many different methods for the collection of behavioural data. It uses both observationally and experimentally based methods. Lab experiments are one of the key aspects in the Learning perspective. They are undertaken in order to make a discovery or confirm causal relationships. The experimenter manipulates an independent variable to see its effect on the dependant variable. Lab experiments are highly replicable because of the tight controls which are necessary to assure the measurement of a specific variable. For this same reason they lack ecological validity as real life situations are never the same as those in labs. Animals are often used in place of humans in lab experiments. They facilitate the collection of data as human participants. Psychologists study animals because the experiments they wish to conduct are permissible only with animals. The same processes by which we see and exhibit emotions are present in other animals therefore through the study of animals we are able to understand aspects of our own behaviour. Study of simple organisms like sea slugs enables us to bypass the complexity of our own systems and reveal the neural mechanisms of learning. However we cannot necessarily generalise behaviours of one species onto

  • Word count: 687
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Biological Sciences
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What are Tess Lemmon's main objections to zoos? Summarise them in your own words as a series of numbered points.

ZOOOOOOH! . What are Tess Lemmon's main objections to zoos? Summarise them in your own words as a series of numbered points. Tess Lemmon has a number of objections to zoos. From the dubious objection astutely and subtly planted in the text without making a direct objection to a more direct unreceptive and unsympathetic objection to the existence of the zoos of today. Here is a summary of the points, which Tess Lemmon has made. . Zoos are immaterial in an era of people concerned with saving the endangered animals and saving the environment in which the animals and we live in, as the zoo is an unnatural environment for the allegedly wild animals. 2. Zoos are only here today because of their so claimed educational, scientific, commitment to conservation purposes, zoos are not what they claim to be, they do not educate the public, they do not help researchers and the animals are not wild they are domesticated beasts which stand no chance in the wilderness. Although the zoos reject documentary films they do not even get to the standard of the habitat of the animals and furthermore the zoos do not motivate people through their "educational day" out to think and do something about the natural plight of the animals. 3. Zoos do not allow any natural and meaningful contact through their bars and concrete between the animals and the humans as it gives the wrong impressions. The only

  • Word count: 988
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Biological Sciences
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Forces shaping the rocky shore

Rocky shores are found where the sea meets the land. They support a diverse mix of plants and animals which have adapted to survive this habitat's unique conditions. Constant wave action and the rise and fall of tides make these shores tough places to live. As well as supporting lots of unusual plants and animals, rocky shores are important fish nurseries and roosting and feeding grounds for birds. Along with their commonly associated algal beds, they also help stabilise inshore sediments. Forces shaping the rocky shore A combination of waves and tides shapes the rocky shore and influences what species can survive there. Waves Wind blowing across the ocean forms peaks and troughs in the water surface which appear to travel as a wave. Along rocky shores there isn't enough room for water to move freely, so waves break over the rocks. Plants and animals living on rocky shores have adapted to being pounded by waves. Tides The tide's rise and fall is one of the main factors affecting life on rocky shores. When the tide falls, plants and animals on rocks are exposed to air. They must develop special adaptations to survive until the tide comes in again. When high tides aren't very big, plants and animals which live high on the shore may be exposed to air for several days. Organisms which live very low on the shore may only occasionally be exposed to air. Rocky shores as

  • Word count: 869
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Biological Sciences
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Using the Grounded Theory to explore people's views on animal use: What factors influence people when they consider their views on animal use?

Social Psychology Year 2 Qualitative Methods Using the Grounded Theory to explore people's views on animal use: What factors influence people when they consider their views on animal use? Word Count: 5800 Introduction: Social psychologists use the term 'attitude' to refer to people's evaluations of virtually any aspect of the social world. People can have favourable or unfavourable reactions to issues, ideas, specific individuals, entire social groups, objects and even animals (Baron, Byrne, & Branscombe, 2006). Often, attitudes are ambivalent in that we evaluate the attitude object/issue both positively or negatively. Attitudes are often acquired from others through social learning (classical conditioning, instrumental conditioning or observational learning. Strong attitudes are most likely when they are based on extreme beliefs and personal experience with the attitude object which thereby is more likely to affect their behaviour (Baron, Byrne & Branscombe, 2006). One issue of the social world that people often form strong attitudes towards is that of 'animal use'. The term 'animal use' is used to describe a range of practices that involve the use of non-human animals by human beings, from using animals to test drugs, to aid the development of medical procedures, to using animals for their fur, to keeping animals as pets or even for entertainment purposes.

  • Word count: 6024
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Biological Sciences
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How adequate are the UK's control systems, governing the use of animals, for testing the safety of medical and commercial products?

How adequate are the UK's control systems, governing the use of animals, for testing the safety of medical and commercial products? Animal testing for education, scientific or commercial purposes has been in use for a long time. Many people see it as being valuable. As it gives them an understanding of how the human body works and has helped greatly in the development of medical science. As early as 1859 Charles Darwin's Evolutionary theory showed that testing on animals could be beneficial when studying humans both biologically and physiologically. Alongside the animal testing there have always been people who have been opposed to it. This pressure exerted by animal rights activists and other pressure groups has led to the British Government setting controls on the testing carried out, by introducing the European Directive 86/609/EEC Animals Act 1986. This gave regulations and guidelines for both scientific and commercial testing. The tests that are used vary from cosmetic testing to research in the medical industry. Animal testing was at its peak in the 1980', but that has been in decline, due to the Government's controls on the people responsible for the testing. All animal testing carried out in Great Britain is subject to licensing given by the Home Office. Licenses are said only to be granted if the research that is taking place is well

  • Word count: 1441
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Biological Sciences
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Explain, using evolutionary arguments, why social living is common among mammals

Explain, using evolutionary arguments, why social living is common among mammals To discuss social living among mammals, it is first important to lay a foundation with which to elaborate upon. By beginning at the building blocks of life, genes, other acts of social living can be better placed in context. Darwin pioneered the idea of evolution, and determined that each organism seeks to produce maximum offspring to allow a greater chance of the species survival. Social living can enhance this. Firstly, there are the immediately apparent benefits of social living. Large groups of mammals can hunt and gather food together, for greater efficiency. They stick together for defence against predators, increasing probability of survival as well as maintaining territorial boundaries. Of course, there is also the inevitable social interaction involved with every animal, when they come together to mate. Perhaps the most important aspect of social living in mammals is the rearing of offspring. The connection between parents and offspring, as well as inter-sibling relationships are essential to the development of the young, to help them adapt to survive. There is also phenomena in communication which relates to social living, such as the use of pheromones or chemical signals to communicate messages of danger and such. Mammals must also weigh this up with the drawbacks of social living.

  • Word count: 1549
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Biological Sciences
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Compare and contrast the ways different animals respond to osmotic challenges

ictl Compare and contrast the ways different animals respond to osmotic challenges Water is essential for all forms of life. By having a high specific heat capacity of 4.2 J g-1 K-1, it is able to retain heat efficiently and resist small fluctuations of temperature. It is also a very effective solvent, acting as a transport medium for various substances such as oxygen, amino acids, polysaccharides and other polar molecules. It is therefore important that water levels in organisms can be maintained and controlled. The regulation of water and solutes, and therefore osmotic pressure, is known as osmoregulation. Osmoregulation is important for cell integrity: if the osmotic pressure inside the cell is too high, the cell swells and eventually bursts due to continued osmotic movement of water into the cell; if the osmotic pressure inside the cell is too low, the cell shrinks. The composition of the extracellular fluid surrounding the cells is different in different animals, thus the cells in different are in different environments. This reflects different animals living in different environments themselves, for example, land animals living in dry or humid conditions and fish living in fresh water or seawater. Thus, animals living in different environments will experience different osmoregulatory challenges and therefore employ different osmoregulatory organs to help maintain

  • Word count: 1458
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Biological Sciences
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Tasmanian Devil Facial Tumor Disease

Tahlia Johnson Student ID: 220083677 Tasmanian Devil Facial Tumour Disease Tahlia Johnson 220083677 Word count: 1,528 Turnitin score: 3% 7 pages in total Introduction The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilius harrisii) is the largest existing carnivorous marsupial and is currently threatened by a transmittable cancer known as “Tasmanian Devil Facial Tumour Disease” (DFTD). The first suspicion of DFTD came in the late 1990’s through a tourist’s photograph while travelling in the bush of Mt. William National Park, Tasmania. In the past 15 years, almost 90% of Australia’s Tasmanian devils have died due to the new arising cancer. The cancer is spreading so rapidly that scientists estimate that within 5 to 15 years, the disease will have spread to the entire species, causing extinction. The aggressive tumour causes death within 6 months because of airway obstruction and incapacity to consume food. DFTD is transmitted from biting during courtship battles and fighting in which “facial tumour cells of one devil are transferred to another as an allograft” (McCallum, 2007). Scientists are still trying to discover a vaccination, but unfortunately they are many years away from completely understanding the disease. History of the disease outbreak In early 1996, a photograph was taken of a Tasmanian devil by Chris Baars, with an unusual facial deformity

  • Word count: 1731
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Biological Sciences
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Consider how the size of animals determines and restricts their patterns of walking and similar locomotion.

Consider how the size of animals determines and restricts their patterns of walking and similar locomotion. One major difference between living in a terrestrial and living in a marine environment is that of locomotion. Marine environments are relatively homogeneous, and offer a supportive medium that greatly reduces the energy required to travel within it. Terrestrial habitats are heterogeneous, the landscapes change from smooth plains to mountains and cliffs, and there is no such supportive medium so the full effects of the Earths' gravity must be encountered. Such a varied habitat entails a huge range of niches and subsequent specific adaptations to movement within them. The niche that an animal exploits imposes restrictions on overall morphology and behaviour. In this essay I shall describe how being a specific size restricts and hence determines the patterns of walking and similar locomotion in animals. Topics covered will be energetic and structural factors and how these shape the process of locomotion. Allometry is the study of the relationship between the dimensions of the anatomical and physiological features of an organism. It is a major tool in making meaningful comparisons between structures and processes in organisms of different body sizes. One of the simplest and easiest to measure allometric characters is body mass, M. The basic equation for an allometric

  • Word count: 4265
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Biological Sciences
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