Animal Rights in Philosophy Essay by tor

Humanism is a set of presuppositions that assigns to human beings a special position in the scheme of things. Not just a school of thought or a collection of specific beliefs or doctrines, humanism is rather a general perspective from which the world is viewed. That perspective received a gradual yet persistent articulation during different historical periods and continues to furnish a central leitmotif of Western civilization. It resists the tendency to treat humanity scientifically as part of the natural order on par with other living organisms. This is the position put forth in the paper to support the author's stance on advocating animal rights. Humanists attribute crucial importance to education, conceiving of it as an all-around development of personality and individual talents, marrying science to poetry and culture to democracy. The paper shows that such philosophies as egoism, utilitarianism, and ethical relativism all seem to lend a hand in supporting this ethical topic.