Utilitarianism and Replaceability or Are Animals Expendable?

Abstract

In her very interesting paper, “Peter Singer on Expendability,” L. A. Kemmerer re-examines Peter Singer’s utilitarian argument implying that some being are replaceable and the implications of this argument for the issue of treating animals. I attempt to defend Singer, and more generally utilitarianism (including the principle of replaceability), against these objections. I argue that, given a utilitarian outlook, some animals are indeed replaceable. But I also argue that few animals are replaceable in practice. Stefan Sencerz Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi stefan.sencerz@tamucc.edu