Who Counts?

Most people agree that some beings matter morally and others do not. The hard part is saying why. Bentham put the question this way about animals: not whether they can reason or talk, but whether they can suffer. A being that can suffer has something at stake in what we do.

Philosophers who press the point, such as Peter Singer, argue that species alone is a weak reason for a line. Belonging to our own kind is like belonging to our own family: it explains our loyalty, but it does not show that others’ pain counts for less.

Critics reply that reason, relationships or being a member of a moral community also matter. The useful habit is to name the feature you rely on, and then test it on hard cases.

The school pond

A school pond has frogs, and a class plans to drain it for a new playground. Some pupils say frogs do not matter because they are not people.

Their teacher asks each pupil to name the trait that would make a creature matter. One says suffering, another says being alive. They find that each trait draws the line in a different place, and they agree to move the frogs before the work begins.

Try this today Write the one trait you think gives a creature a claim on us, then list three beings that have it.