Irish News within the Perspective of Animal Welfare - Article Example

Section/# Animal Rights: A Case Study of an Irish News Article within the Perspective of Animal Welfare and the Views of Peter Singer and Michael Pollan The given topic given issue with regards to animal rights that this student has chosen to analyze relates to the different types of blood sports which are still currently legal in Ireland. These blood sports include but are not limited to fox hunts with the practice of “digouts” involved. This involves cornering a fox after a fox hunt within the den. Once this is accomplished the hunters set to work to unearth the fox and lower a starved terrier into the hole to kill the fox. Such a practice invariably ends with the death of the fox and oftentimes severe physical injury to the terrier due to the wounds that the fox has inflicted upon it as an act of self defense and being cornered. Phyllis Daugherty, the author of the newspaper article that discusses this practice proffers to the reader that the government of Ireland is currently considering legislation that would ban the practice of the “digout” itself; however, such legislation would have no effect on the continued prevalence of fox hunting as such (Aaltola 395). With regards to how this particular news article would relate to Pollan’s analysis that we have read, this author would have to connect it to one of the primary points that Pollan made concerning animal rights. As Pollan’s article progresses, he develops a rhythmic analysis of animal rights that uses a type of Boolean logic to draw the reader in to understanding the complexities of the given viewpoints. Due to the fact that these viewpoints deal with such issues as morality, ethics, the further definition of animal welfare/fair treatment, and rights, Pollan incorporates metaphorical parallels to other “rights” issues that have preceded animal rights in order to more fully develop and nuance his approach (Pollan 59). In order to understand Pollan’s view on the particular process as it relates to the fox hunt and the practice of the “digout” one must first broach the topic of what is meant by the term “equality” within the given news article that has been selected. The given news article expressly connects the ideas put forward by Pollan and Singer; ethically humans have responsibilities. Therefore, what one determines to make of these responsibilities therefore becomes the crux of the matter (Singer 11). Says the news article, “Fox hunting is a ‘blood sport,’ masked as an elite activity. Introduced in the 16th Century in the U.K., fox hunting is still popular in Ireland.  Fox hunting involves the tracking, chasing and killing of a helpless, terrorized fox hounded for hours until exhaustion delivers it to the waiting dogs, to be killed in a frenzy of biting and savagery” (Daugherty 1). Regardless of how one feels about the issues of animal rights, the Daugherty article appeals to the dignity of life as a means to end such savage practices in the same way that Pollan and Singer evoke the higher ethical principles of overall equality and the nonsensical nature of animal cruelty. In this way, although the topics that Daugherty, Singer, and Pollan discuss are divergent, they all hinge on the belief that humans possess an innate responsibility towards other animals. Although Singer and Pollan would take this idea of responsibility further, Daugherty assumes that at the very least, this concept applies to lack of cruelty. Pollan discusses this idea of responsibility within the first two pages of his analysis and begins to encourage the reader to take a position as to how they stand upon this principle. Likewise, if one pursues the basis that equality is a moral ideal that should be ascribed to all things equally, there is but one logical end for the reader. Pollan describes such a process by defining that equality, as it relates to humans, does not mean that all people are equally intelligent; instead, he argues through the logic of Peter Singer that the idea of equality means that one must accept the premise that “everyone’s interests must receive equal consideration”. Naturally, a further logical progression can immediately take the reader to the situation involving the fox hunt and the barbaric and/or inhumane treatment that is invariably exhibited therein. What is unique about this particular practice that was noted in the article is that it directly violates many of the premises that Pollan discusses in his work. However, this is due to the fact that hunting is not specifically mentioned as a function of Pollan’s discussion of animal rights. Therefore, the article also flies in the face of many of the premises that the authors we have read promote. For instance, Singer promotes the idea that one of the reasons that humans are currently so calloused to the plight of animals is that our society is one in which we are no longer face to face with the animals we eat and wear (Dennet 691). This lack of eye contact is given as a primary reason for our overall level of indifference. However, the case of the fox hunts and the digouts fly directly in the face of such logic. Indeed, the fox is not even going to be used as food or as an article of clothing due to the fact that the news article notes, “If a hunt cannot retrieve a fox even after sending a terrier down, a pole wrapped with barbed wire is lowered into the hole and used to drag the distressed animal to the surface. This practice in and of itself is immensely cruel; however, the process does not end there as the live fox is then fed to the waiting hounds to be torn to pieces” (Daugherty 1). In this way, it is obvious that the nature of the hunt is not for any benefit to mankind but merely to gratify a very base and savage desire to harm and torture a defenseless animal. Although, Singer and Pollan’s pieces help the reader to understand much of the thought process behind the actions of the hunters, nothing short of a psychological approach to such cruelty would fully explain the reasons why such behavior continues to exist and to a greater extent why society even tolerates this. Using the rhetorical arguments that Pollan, Singer, and Daugherty have presented, it becomes abundantly clear that such practices cannot stand the tests of logic and ethical considerations when applied. Works Cited Aaltola, Elisa. "The Philosophy Behind The Movement: Animal Studies Versus Animal Rights." Society & Animals 19.4 (2011): 393-406. Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 Oct. 2012. Daugherty, Phyllis. "Cruel Hunting 'Blood Sports' Make Animals' Lives 'Hell on Earth" in Ireland." Cruel Hunting 'Blood Sports' Make Animals' Lives 'Hell on Earth" in Ireland. N.p., 17 Oct. 2012. Web. 19 Oct. 2012. . Dennett, Daniel C. "Animal Consciousness: What Matters And Why." Social Research 62.3 (1995): 691-710. Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 Oct. 2012. Pollan, Michael. "An Animal's Place." New York Times 10 Nov. 2002, 27th ed.: 58-68. Print. Singer, Peter. In defense of animals : the second wave. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub, 2006. Read More