Animal well-being and why it matters

Abstract

Can animals, and especially domestic animals, be the object of moral concern? Should we care about their well-being? In the wake of Jeremy Bentham, Utilitarianism has extended moral consideration to every sentient being, from the most radical position, such as Singer’s thesis of animal liberation, to more moderate stances concerned with animal well-being. In scientific research, three definitions of well-being coexist : i) absence of mortality and morbidity ; ii) absence of stress ; iii) possibility of expressing natural behaviour. While the first two tend to ignore the integrity of the animals, the third takes it into account and acknowledges the needs and social behaviour of farm animals.