At the fore front, Animal rights charity PETA (people for the ethical treatment of animals) lead the charge established in several countries and have a 3,158,585 following on Facebook. We can see by PETA 'S large support group, which shows the cruelty applied to animals in the testing process creates a large degree of unhappiness.
Countries that have banned cosmetic testing on animals are the European Union, Norway, Israel, India and New Zealand. Although the United States is considering an amendment of their Animal Rights bill to include a ban on cosmetic testing, they are still yet to implement this ban. A significant amount of the western world have deemed cosmetic testing on animals un-ethical. If the majority is unhappy with the state of affairs than by utilitarian standards, cosmetic testing on animals is unethical.
Kantian ethics was founded by German philosopher Immanuel Kant in the 18th century. Kant believed that human life was to be revered above all else. Rachels (2010) “on his view human beings have an “intrinsic worth” or “dignity.” (pp. …show more content…
The final aspect of Kant’s theory is the respect for persons; people should not be treated as a tool to your own desires but treated with dignity.
Kant’s view on animals was sure and unwavering. Rachels (2010) quotes his lectures on ethics “But so far as animals are concern, we have no direct duties. Animals… are there merely as a means to an end. That end is man.” (pp. 136) Using Kant’s Categorical imperative we must observe if the ban of animal testing can be universalised. The outlawing of cosmetics testing by Kant’s standards would mean the ban of medical testing on animals as well. This would be a massive setback for medical research, and potentially mean that the discovery of certain breakthroughs would not be possible. I believe that this is something that cannot be universalized. If we analyse another aspect of Kant’s theory being the importance of motive, we will see that the motive for research on animals is indeed a good motive. To make sure the final product is usable by the consumer and does not cause medical harm. Animals are only valued as long as they serve human purposes. In relation to Isaac Davidson’s article in the New Zealand Herald, Kant would strongly disagree with Animal activist and Green party MP Mojo Mathers. Davidson. I (2015) "It 's fantastic that we will now be able to hold