Honors 308-001--Animal Rights

Mondays, 4:00-4:50--Hill House

                    Professor: Michael Patton, 300B Comer Hall
                    Phone Numbers: Office: 665-6434 Home: 665-9569
                    Office Hours: MWF 7:30-9:00; 1:00-3:00
                                            T 2:00-4:00 and by appointment.

• Course description:  There are people at each extreme of the Animal Rights question:  Vegans, who are morally opposed to the use of almost any animal products, and those who, like Rene Descartes, think that animals are mere machines with which we may do as we please.  All too often, contemporary proponents of either view have little or no theoretical background for their views, no matter how strongly they hold to them.  In this class, we will study the historical and philosophical roots of the question of the moral status of animals and try to come to some conclusions of our own.

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By the end of this class, the students will be familiar with a significant amount of historical and philosophical material on the question of whether animals have rights comparable to our own.  The students will be required to explain and defend their views in light of this background.