Animals

What responsibilities follow from our power over animals?

Our relationships with animals involve care, food, work, research and shared habitats. The power we exercise creates responsibilities to understand their needs and the effects of our choices. Within The Human Constitution, dignity, decency and respect for life ask us to take animal suffering seriously and examine avoidable harm. Ethical views about human use differ, and welfare claims need evidence for the species and conditions. Reflecting on what we learn should influence our conduct, including when a familiar practice becomes difficult to justify.

A question to sit with (optional): What does this animal depend on us for, and what harm could be avoided or reduced?