Kantian Ethics and Animals

Abstract

Thomas provides a thorough analysis of Kantian ethics in support of an animal ethic based on autonomy. For Kant, autonomy is the main feature of someone who is owed direct moral consideration, and this chapter examines the possibility of incorporating animals into Kantian ethics based on some of the recent work performed by neo-Kantian scholars. By arguing that animals should be considered minimally rational and autonomous, Thomas claims that animals are ends in themselves, and that this results in humans having direct moral duties towards other animals. This chapter details both the strengths and weaknesses of arguments that support the notion that animals should be considered ends in themselves, and concludes that Kantian ethics provides the best support for the claim that animals are autonomous beings.