Whose ethics are involved in determining ethical treatment for animals—hasn’t what is ethical changed over time?
Veterinarians, pet owners, animal ethicists, animal rights activists, hunters, farmers – they all play a role in determining ethical treatment of animals. Some push for immediate and sweeping changes – others are reluctant to alter the status quo or fear that moving too fast may result in unintended consequences. Without going into a lengthy philosophical discussion, yes, in some sense, ethics do change over time. With new discoveries and medical advances, the acceptable veterinary standards of care have changed, for instance, in regard to the management of pain. Ethics and what is socially tolerated also vary from society to society – the slaughter of horses for human consumption is anathema in the United States – yet horse meat is a delicacy in France and Japan.
