Mathenys Views on Ulitarianism and Factory or Farm Animals

In this paper I will explain in detail the premises of Matheny’s view and his argument of refraining from eating the product from factory farms, and then offer an objection to it. Matheny states in â€Å"Utilitarianism and Animals† that we should refrain from eating the products from factory farms. The first premise of Matheny’s argument is the principle of equal consideration of interests. To be fair, just, and benevolent, any ethical rule we adopt should respect this principle. The second premise of Matheny’s argument is that eating factory-farmed products is considered to be ethically wrong. The conclusion of Matheny’s argument is we should not eat factory-farmed products. To summarize Matheny’s â€Å"Utilitarianism and Animals† with a quote, â€Å"We can change the way we live, and eat.† Below are the following premises: 1. You should â€Å"act in such a way as to maximize the expected satisfaction of interests in the world, equally considered.† 2. Eating factory-farmed products does not maximize the expected satisfaction of interest in the world, equally considered. 3. Therefore, we should not eat factory-farmed products. Utilitarianism is an ethical theory with the rule, â€Å"act in such a way as to maximize the expected satisfaction of interests in the world, equally considered.† We try to act in such a way that considers everyone’s pains and pleasures. With this in mind, we have to discover what truly makes others happy. We should not ignore those that are affected by our behavior.