乌托邦幻想、食肉与道德责任——尼克·赞威尔的义务性肉食主义探讨

Utopian Fantasies,Meat Eating,and Moral Responsibility:An Exploration of Nick Zangwill’s Obligatory Carnivory

动物权利论反对者尼克·赞威尔称人类因与动物有互惠互利关系的历史是人类目前吃动物的道德责任,而人类不食肉且驯养动物不被杀掉是乌托邦幻想。当前尽管对于人类是否应当食肉仍然存在分歧,但认为吃肉是人类道德责任的论点却并不常见。赞威尔的历史论证、对动物有益以及食肉集体责任的论述有很多漏洞,其结论也缺乏说服力,但需注意的是,动物解放论的理论初衷与动物福利的实践,其效果并不总是渐进式的变革,可能会产生更多的曲解和变形。某种程度上,赞威尔是将动物福利良好作为可以杀掉动物食肉的根据。

Nick Zangwill,an opponent of animal rights theory,claims that humans are currently morally responsible for eating animals because of their history of mutually beneficial relationships with animals,and that it is a Utopian fantasy that humans do not eat meat and that domesticated animals are not killed.Currently,while there is still disagreement about whether humans are carnivorous or not,arguments that eating meat is a moral duty are uncommon.There are many loopholes in Nick Zangwill’s historical arguments,arguments about animal welfare and collective responsibility for eating meat,and his conclusions are unpersuasive.However,it should be noted that the theoretical intention of animal liberation theory and the practice of animal welfare do not always result in gradual changes,but may lead to more misinterpretations and deformations.To some extent,Zangwill regards good animal welfare as a basis for killing animals and eating meat.