We Hold These Truths to Be Self-Evident: The Need for Animal Rights in the United States of America
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Kent State University Honors College / OhioLINK
2012
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| Online Access: | http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ksuhonors1335815050 |
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ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-ksuhonors13358150502021-08-03T05:38:20Z We Hold These Truths to Be Self-Evident: The Need for Animal Rights in the United States of America Sabo, Joseph Michael Animals animal rights human nonhuman equal consideration welfare interests inalienable consciousness intelligence sentience Western society law America vegan vegetarian suffering slavery genocide equality slaughter agriculture meat dairy <p>The early history of the United States was plagued by the presence of inequality against others based on a non-exhaustive list that included, but was not limited to, race, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age and disability. Could the oppression of animals be another form of unjust inequality? In Western society, animal products and by-products are no longer needed for survival. Rather than acting out of necessity, the American consumer is instead driven by a schizophrenic morality. Pets are treated like family members and welfare laws are passed with unwavering support; however, animal use has increased substantially in the U.S., generating 10.153 billion deaths every year in meat production alone.</p><p>Western society’s current relationship with the nonhuman is a product of religious beliefs, literary representation, historical exploitation and scientific discoveries. The Judeo-Christian faith has firmly established man’s superiority in the Universe. Literary works have aided religion by emphasizing the degraded nature of the nonhuman. In addition, past societies have justified slavery and genocide by assigning animal characteristics to humans. Despite the scientific evidence verifying animal sentience, humans prefer to visualize nonhumans as unconscious machines that can neither think nor feel pain. Currently, the law regards animals as personal property that can be sold, bought and destroyed.</p><p>For most Americans, animal consciousness, even when acknowledged, is still not enough to validate a major lifestyle change. Beginning at birth, children are improperly exposed to animals through anthropomorphic methods. As adults, men and women are constantly encouraged to participate in activities that directly cause animal suffering. Accordingly, when compassion is absent, the law must require a person’s rights to be recognized. The ability to feel pain should be the only condition necessary in order to receive basic moral status and equal consideration within Western society. Until animals are granted legal personhood status, they will remain nothing more than expendable pieces of property.</p> 2012-05-15 English text Kent State University Honors College / OhioLINK http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ksuhonors1335815050 http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ksuhonors1335815050 unrestricted This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws. |
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NDLTD |
| language |
English |
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NDLTD |
| topic |
Animals animal rights human nonhuman equal consideration welfare interests inalienable consciousness intelligence sentience Western society law America vegan vegetarian suffering slavery genocide equality slaughter agriculture meat dairy |
| spellingShingle |
Animals animal rights human nonhuman equal consideration welfare interests inalienable consciousness intelligence sentience Western society law America vegan vegetarian suffering slavery genocide equality slaughter agriculture meat dairy Sabo, Joseph Michael We Hold These Truths to Be Self-Evident: The Need for Animal Rights in the United States of America |
| author |
Sabo, Joseph Michael |
| author_facet |
Sabo, Joseph Michael |
| author_sort |
Sabo, Joseph Michael |
| title |
We Hold These Truths to Be Self-Evident: The Need for Animal Rights in the United States of America |
| title_short |
We Hold These Truths to Be Self-Evident: The Need for Animal Rights in the United States of America |
| title_full |
We Hold These Truths to Be Self-Evident: The Need for Animal Rights in the United States of America |
| title_fullStr |
We Hold These Truths to Be Self-Evident: The Need for Animal Rights in the United States of America |
| title_full_unstemmed |
We Hold These Truths to Be Self-Evident: The Need for Animal Rights in the United States of America |
| title_sort |
we hold these truths to be self-evident: the need for animal rights in the united states of america |
| publisher |
Kent State University Honors College / OhioLINK |
| publishDate |
2012 |
| url |
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ksuhonors1335815050 |
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AT sabojosephmichael weholdthesetruthstobeselfevidenttheneedforanimalrightsintheunitedstatesofamerica |
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