Taking Humanism Seriously: ``Obligatory'' Anthropocentrism

摘要: Humanism – in the sense that humans alonehave moral standing, or else a surpassing degree of it– has traditionally dominated all ethicaldiscourse. However, its past formulations havesuccumbed to temptation merely stipulate sucha criterion, such as rationality, which nonhumans areoften deemed (without sufficient argument) failwithout exception. Animal liberationistarguments do exist counterpoint traditionalhumanism, but one current difficulty seems be asimple clash basic assumptions, with an indecisiveresult. Although author this paper is anonanthropocentrist, he attempts further moraltheoretical debate by constructing more powerfulversion humanism, based pursuit good,per se. The theory premised upon viewing asgenerally having and leading lives greater value,in some relevant sense. This essay prefigures theauthor's refutation generally, inthe understanding world view cannot trulybe refuted unless best version answered.Whatever status paper's offering of``Obligatory'' Anthropocentrism, can seento have great deal success than itspredecessors parrying, apparently outdoing,contemporary animal liberationist philosophies.