24 Alvernia University Magazine
and Ethics” at Alvernia and directs campus ministry,“ give that intellectual footing for all people who are willing to inquire into these questions.”
Most people in the United States eat meat and seafood. Most likely spend little time pondering how that appetizing food gets to their dinner table. Any discussion of animal ethics forces a head-on confrontation with that issue. “The primary issue is food,” says ethicist Joel Marks, a professor emeritus of philosophy at the University of New Haven and a scholar at the Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics at Yale University. “The reason is the sheer number of animals involved.” Each year in the United States, 10.2 billion land animals — chickens, cows, pigs and others — are slaughtered for food that makes its way to the table, according to the United States Department of Agriculture’s data. Sea animals add several billion more to the tally. A diet that includes meat has its benefits. It contains large amounts of protein, important for the health and well-being of humans, as well as vitamins and minerals necessary for basic functions. Ethical concerns usually revolve around how the animal was raised and slaughtered and, for many, whether killing another sentient being for a human’s benefit is morally right. Factory farms, which dominate U.S. food production, have come under criticism for crowding large numbers of animals into small cages and sheds, and using hormones to boost production. But there are alternatives. Grass-fed cattle are growing in popularity, with chains such as Whole Foods stamping its meat packages with an animal welfare scale. “If one is focused on the animal and eliminating pain, distress, giving the animal a reasonable quality of life, it is possible to envision a world where animals are humanely cared for and humanely slaughtered, and used by humans,” says James Serpell, a professor of animal welfare
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Dog racing — entertaining competition or cruel activity?
expert Richard Botzler, co-editor of the college textbook “The Animal Ethics Reader,” which Yarri uses. “There are a lot of everyday ethical issues that come up.” As part of the class, students volunteer as cat socializers, dog walkers or kennel cleaners at the Humane Society of Berks County to make the ethical issues “more tangible,” Yarri says. “The hours at the shelter have been very eye-opening to me,” says Kathleen Fitzharris, 20, of Smithtown, N.Y., a pre-veterinary sophomore studying biochemistry. She, like her peers, was struck by the sheer numbers — more than 2,000 a year — of abused and neglected animals left at the shelter. “It’s so rewarding to work with the cats and dogs, and see them get adopted. And you know you played a part in giving that animal a better life.” “The Ethical Treatment of Animals” also explores a variety of perspectives, including that of animals. Students write essays from, say, a dolphin’s or hamster’s viewpoint — as well as that of organizations such as the ASPCA and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). They also have spent considerable time discussing the person and theology of St. Francis, the patron saint of animals and the environment. Clearly, animal ethics raises a host of crucial, complex questions. “Courses such as the one Yarri’s offering,” says Scott Davidson, who teaches “Green Theology