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