Contractualism, the veil of ignorance and moral status of animals: what moral principles would we choose if we did not know our species membership?

Abstract

This paper defends the thesis that contractualism, properly understood, provides a plausible theoretical basis for the attribution of direct moral status to animals. The first part explains how John Rawls’s contractualism can be aplied – through his own arguments – to defend direct moral duties to animals. The second part focuses on solving practical moral questions using the contract theory. It deals with the issue of intensive farming and animal experimentation.