Should Society recognize animal rights, even to the extent of Essay

Should Society recognize animal rights, even to the extent of disallowing the use of animals in scientific and medical experiments - Essay Example But in the context of pain suffered by animals, Gallistel (1989) has advocated the unrestricted use of animals for research purposes, especially in the study of the nervous system. He points out that studies on the nervous system may involve the destruction or stimulation of a part of the system to examine the ramifications of use of certain drugs and could cause pain and temporary distress to the animals used. He argues that restricting research on animals would restrict the progress in human understanding of the nervous system. It would interfere with the process of providing a moral and scientific basis for the amassing of knowledge that produces tangible benefits for the nervous ailments of humans and benefits in treatment. He contends that the suffering of a few animals cannot be accorded greater importance than the benefits that are provided to the human race. It is also argued that since animals do not possess a sense of moral values and reason, they are inferior beings as com pared to humans and therefore, their interests must be subordinated to that of human beings. In a similar vein, H Tristam Englehardt Jr believes that â€Å"morality is a human construct and that secular moral authority is grounded in consent†¦[and he]†¦..claims that animals have "rights" granted them by humans (since only humans are "ends in themselves"), but the "rights" so granted are to be used for human welfare, including the "right" to be hunted, skinned, eaten, used for entertainment, etc† (Haack, 2007). Hence, Gallistel and Englehardt are of the view that animals may have rights, but those rights are to be subordinated to those of humans and the animals can only enjoy rights to the extent that humans permit them to have those rights. Therefore, even in instances where they suffer pain, this pain is justified on the basis that their rights are