International Society for Animal Ethics - ISAE

27/08/2022

YES TO JUSTICE! Animal Ethicists from around the world agree that species is a mere biological trait, like e.g. skin color and gender, and must not be relevant to our actions and moral inclusion in any way.
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Instead, it is sentience, i.e. the basic ability to suffer that is identified as being the rationally right basis for moral inclusion.
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However, our society, still, ignores that ethical insight and acts deeply speciesistic - by treating sentient beings, in particular, those labeled „livestock“ as mere things and e.g. dogs much better than pigs or chickens or fish. Daily, billions of sentient beings are killed.
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We demand the end of speciesism! We demand justice for all sentient beings! 🕊
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27/09/2021

Greetings to Animal Society e.V.! 😊 Another great organisation to better the world for animals. 🕊

We recommend you to check out

Animal Society setzt sich für die Rechte & Interessen von Tieren ein. Für eine Gesellschaft, in der Tiere stärker geschützt und in der Politik vertreten werden.

12/08/2019

This might be of interest. 😊 Shared with us by Anthony Podberscek, Editor-in-Chief of Anthrozoös, a peer-reviewed publication whose focus is to report the results of studies, from a wide array of disciplines, on the interactions of people and animals.

08/04/2019

Indeed! Many great people are dedicated to better the world for nonhuman animals - f.i. by speaking up for those billions of sentient beings who suffer and scream, but yet, are widely unheard. We hear you - and we won‘t lose heart!
Whenever looking around, we recognize that a better world for nonhuman animals is on her way. On a quiet day, we can hear her breathing; and with confidence, we know that eventually, an ethical human-animal-practice will be realized! All of you, do not lose hope and keep up your great work! 💚🐷🐮🐔🦆🐵🦑🐋

11/03/2019

The great Animals & Society Institute is „inviting applications for the European Summer School “Interspecies Relationality” (ESSIR) that will take place at the University of Kassel from 28 July to 4 August 2019. The deadline for applications will be 31 March 2019.“

We are inviting applications for the European Summer School “Interspecies Relationality” (ESSIR) that will take place at the University of Kassel from 28 July to 4 August 2019. The deadline for applications will be 31 March 2019. “Relationality” has been a central approach to the development...

22/01/2019

Happy faces! 😊 ISAE has made quite some progress last weekend when Dr. Doris Schneeberger, Dr. Tatjana Višak and Daniel Zimmermann met in Heidelberg (Germany) for the 1st ISAE Core Team Meeting.
Three days of rather challenging discussion regarding scientific, structural and operational matters and future plans for the organisation.🎉

02/12/2018

Consensus > Differences

🔶Utilitarianism: A teleological (outcome-based) moral theory. The focus is on the consequences = outcome of actions. We shall act to maximize total happiness, resp. fulfilled preferences (and lack of suffering) among all sentient beings. The morally relevant feature of an entity is sentience - being able to have hedonistic states of mind, t.i. being able to suffer and to be happy which is linked to having a central nervous system (CNS).

Regarding animals: Utilitarian animal ethicists argue that human and many nonhuman animals must be included into the moral circle for all of us are capable of suffering, hence, have preferences, e.g. the preference to not suffer. Such preferences ought to be equally considered when deciding which action is right/wrong for the one action is the morally best which brings about the most happiness/fulfilled preferences.
=> Utilitarianism says: Do good.

🔶Deontology: A duty-based moral theory. The focus is on the process used, e.g. doing social duty, follow strict moral principles/laws, etc.

Regarding animals: Animal rights theories acknowledge that animals being subjects-of-a-life have lives that matter to them; lives that can be good or bad in their own sense, which is linked to having a central nervous system (CNS). Therefore, it is any subject-of-a-life‘s (moral) right to not be treated as mere means to human ends, to be treated with respect, including to not be harmed. Animal Rights theories demand abolitionism/animal liberation.
=> Deontology says: Do right.

🔶Virtue Ethics: A character-based moral theory. The focus is on whether a virtuous person would do the act in question. We should cultivate the virtues and act in accordance with them. Virtues include compassion, justice, honesty, wisdom and more. The person doing so becomes a phronimos (practical wise person), t.i. has available phronesis (practical wisdom) which enables her to decide what is right to do in a context-sensitive manner. Further, Virtue Ethics give moral relevance to many more features than utilitarian or deontological theories, e.g. the action‘s context and relationships.

Regarding animals: Virtue ethicists, like Rosalind Hursthouse argue that making sentient beings suffer is cruel (vicious). Further, relating other living beings, we are supposed to be acquiring and exercising the virtue of compassion. She says:“I can[not] think of myself as compassionate while I am party to such cruelty than I could think of myself as just if, scrupulously avoiding owning slaves, I still enjoyed the fruits of slave labor“ (Hursthouse, Applying Virtue Ethics to Our Treatment of the Other Animals).
Virtue Ethics says: => Be virtuous.

(The elucidations as set out above are not complete but introductive.)

❗️Obviously, there are fundamental differences which might lead to different results in different ways.

✳️ Yet, there is a consensus about the DIRECTION amongst the animal ethicists: Human-animal practice is wrong and must be changed! We must reduce animal suffering, resp. establish animal rights, resp. be virtuous people - To make this world a good place for, t.i. to do justice to anymals.

24/11/2018

Thank you all for being here and for your support!

ISAE's pro-animals stance reflects the achieved consensus in animal ethics and HAS and we are convinced that the movement and anymals win, if we support each other. Thank you for doing exactly that!

If you want to get involved please contact us:
[email protected].

We wish you a great time!

04/11/2018

✳️There are many similarities between human and nonhuman animals. E.g. we all express happiness, sadness, fear and distress. We all have special relationships with other animals. We all interact with the world. We all have lives that matter to us and much more.
So, human and nonhuman animals are one in many ways.
However, a single basal similarity is recognized as being sufficient for moral consideration, hence, being crucial for our actions: The capability to suffer.
Why? For causing unnecessary suffering is bad in itself.

🔶 In animal ethics, utilitarians, deontologists and virtue ethicists do, in one way or another, acknowledge the moral relevance of suffering/sentience to argue against unnecessary animal suffering, resp. for animal rights, resp. for compassionate behaviour. That is, to argue for an ethical human-animal practice.

🔵 Nowadays it is clear, we ought to acknowledge this similarity and take appropriate actions: Do not cause suffering where possible and practicable. Thank you.

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04/10/2018

Today is World Animal Day!🦍🐷🦊🦌🐤🌍
Therefore we want to invite all of you to raise your voice for nonhuman animals. May your message be theirs!
Feel free to share our picture and enjoy this WAD 2018!