Definition
The moral realm is a phrase coined by philosopher Michael E. Berumen, and it refers to the collective members of the group eligible for moral consideration, which could conceivably consist of human beings, rational human beings, rational beings, sentient animals, nonsentient animals, plants, or inanimant objects.
Analysis
Many philsophers believe that only those who are rational are entitled to moral consideration, principally those who are also moral agents. Immanuel Kant, among others, advocated such a view. Kant believed the reason for treating animals compasionately had more to do with not making men into brutes than with owing the animals any moral consideration. Critics point out that one of the problems is that we can easily define rationality in such a way as to include or exclude whom we want. The question also arises, why not distinguish between various degrees of rationality, which might futher imply that some rational beings are more entitled to moral treatment than others.
Other philosophers believe that moral consideration is not a function of one's rationality, but the capacity to suffer and self-awareness (see, for example, Jeremy Bentham, Peter Singer, and Michael E. Berumen, which would extend moral consideration to other animals. Some even extend this to non-sentient beings and inaniment objects, for example, proponents of so-called deep ecology theory.
Berumen, for one, does not propose that we treat other animals equally; he argues that we must take into account the degree of suffering and the capacity for consciousness in considering other animals, and that equal suffering or sentience ought to be given equal treatment. This, he says, is what we ourselves might hope for from superior beings from another planet; we would not want to be consigned by them to a class ineligible for moral consideration. He maintains that science can assist us in acquiring a better understanding of other beings' capacity for suffering.
Theological considerations
Many believe that morality is defined by God as outlined in sacred texts, and that only man, for whom God created the universe, is entitled to moral consideration. Many religious people would contend that animals are principally for man's use and are not subject to moral consideration.
Plato famously said in the Euthyphro that morality is not simply what God says it is, for God loves what is good because it is good; it is not good merely because he loves it. Therefore, critics of the view that morality is only for man might reasonably explore what is good or moral, by looking beyond sacred texts that are supposed to represent God's word.
|
