Ethics of Liberty, Chapter 21: The “Rights” of Animals

Rothbard denies human rights to animals, on the ground that the nature of humans differs from that of animals. “Man is a rational and social animal. No other animals or beings possess this ability to reason” (p. 155), among other traits. ロスバードは動物に人権がないと主張する。人類の性質と動物の性質が違うから同じ権利を当たることが不適切だ。「人は有利で社交的な動物です。別の動物がこんな推論する能力を持ちません」(p.155)。
Rothbard admits that, while he repeatedly emphasizes that natural right are absolute, “there is one sense in which they are relative: they are relative to the species man” (p. 155, italics in original). 天賦人権の絶対性をいつも強調するロスバードが「相対的である意味が一つある。天賦人権が動物の一種である人類に相対的です」(p.155)。
He also points out that animals don’t respect any rights outside of their species. And he admits the possibility of treating with other sentient species (assuming we ever make contact with one) as equals. 動物が別種の動物の権利を認めないと指摘する。そして人外の有情種が見つければ匹敵者として接することを支持する。
I would take this one further: even if we granted human rights to animals, there would be no practical need to respect them. So they have the right to demand redress for their enslavement and/or mass slaughter? Nevertheless, they won’t exercise that right, which is as good as never having it at all. 動物に関して拙者が一歩続く。動物に人権を許しても現実的に見守る必要はない。奴隷かつ大量殺害の賠償を求める権利を持ってもその権利を使用しないから最初から持たなかった推定と同じ結果になる。
The animal rights groups could then try to say, “We will do it for them!” But it is absurd to let self-appointed champions exercise rights that they don’t possess. If they want to act as an animal’s agent, they have to pass the same bar as becoming another human’s agent: get it to agree to a contract of agency. 「ならば我々が動物たちの代わりに使用します!」という動物権利組織が現れるが、自任闘士が自分の持っていない権利を使用できない!動物の代理として行動したいならその動物から代理契約に賛成を得るからするべきでござる、人の代理になるように。

About Brian Wilton

I'm a libertarian. I prefer reading articles and books to listening to podcasts, although I hear that podcasts are more popular. Call it Picard's Syndrome.
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