Paper #1 In the essay “Consider the Lobster” by David Foster Wallace, the author present “preference” and its application in ethical practices on the topic of boiling lobsters. The author argues that there is a correlation between preference and pain that drives morality. Wallace’s arguments are supported by personal accounts and factual evidence taken from scientific studies. The clinical facts offers a background analysis on the lobster; while the personal accounts queries lobster as sentient beings. The use of factual evidence, emotional appeal aided by evidence from the text, presents a cohesive argument on preference and it’s relation to empathy and/or torture. The crucial mitigating factor Wallace emphasize on the morality of …show more content…
Ethics can be based off of preference on this topic by acknowledging that lobsters are sentient beings and that humans should have “the willingness to exert personal agency and accept responsibility”(Wallace 6) if they partake in the practice of boiling lobsters. Another step towards a moral and ethical practice is trying to understand why humans disconnect and dissociate themselves from the similarities found in other species. It is acknowledged that the “clacking” of lobsters in a boiling pot are indications of pain, but there are prolong and complicated effort to reach this answer. This difficulty stems from the fact that lobsters are not place on the same level of importance. The author states, “I have not succeeded in working out any sort of personal ethical system in which the belief is truly defensible instead of selfishly convenient.” This evidence suggest the imposed notion that lobsters are unable to feel pain may have been justification to lessen the moral guilt of killing
The article “Consider the Lobster” by David Wallace was first published in August 2004 and it has led to a lot of public controversies based on the morality and ethicality, surrounding the massive cooking of the lobster. There have been a lot of debates also from the vegetarians and the animal rights activists concerning the great lobster festival held at the Penobscot festival every late July. One thing we ought to understand is that the lobster is a summer food, and most people would want to have it freshly caught from the sea. In addition, it is a festival that is performed once a year, and therefore it gives them some time to reproduce. However, the central issue raised concerning this festival is based on the fact that some people feel that the festival is completely against the animal rights, and especially inflicts pain to the lobsters.
The essay I chose was “Consider the Lobster” by David Foster Wallace published in August 2004. The purpose of the essay is to point out the consideration and suffering of the lobster and more specifically, he uses the Maine Lobster Festival as an example. His introduction begins with the background and culture of the MLB. He even goes in to detail about the paid attendance of the festival, all the festivities that are held. From carnival rides to a parade and he even stated the amount of fresh caught lobsters (25,000).
In An Animal’s Place, Michael Pollan describes the growing acknowledgement of animal rights, particularly America’s decision between vegetarianism and meat-eating. However, this growing sense of sentiment towards animals is coupled with a growing sense of brutality in farms and science labs. According to Pollan, the lacking respect for specific species of animals lies in the fact that they are absent from human’s everyday lives; enabling them to avoid acknowledgment of what they are doing when partaking in brutality towards animals. He presents arguments for why vegetarianism would make sense in certain instances and why it would not and ultimately lead to the decision of eating-meat while treating the animals fairly in the process. Pollan
"Consider the Lobster," by David Foster Wallace explores the ethics of consuming animals and the disconnection that humans often have with the origins of their food. He analyzes this idea by telling the reader about the Maine Lobster Festival (MLF), an annual event held in Rockland, Maine, that celebrates the state's lobster industry and features a variety of activities and events. Wallace offers up the MLF as a prime example of the unethicality of lobster consumption as lobsters are sentient beings capable of feeling pain. However, if Wallace wants his readers to consider that it is unethical to consume lobsters, why does he include a section in his essay where he explains that lobsters might not feel pain?
In this paper, I will focus on Bonnie Steinbock’s claim on whether or not we should give equal moral consideration to species outside our own species group. I will first determine what moral concern means, according to Peter singer, and explain how he views the human treatment of animals. I will then outline Steinbock’s argument against Singer’s position and explain how her criticism is part of a much broader issue: that is moral concern. I will finally make my argument against Steinbock as well as address any issues she could possibly raise against my argument. Peter Singer believed that all species, whether it be human or non-human, deserve equal consideration of interests and quality of life.
Author, David Foster Wallace, in his research essay, “Consider the Lobster,” states how the MLF or Main Lobster Festival is committing an act of animal genocide due to the fact that lobsters have nerve endings and can feel pain. Wallace’s purpose of writing this essay is to make the public aware of the Lobster’s pain while they are being boiled alive. Wallace provides an informative but somewhat demeaning tone in parts of the essay to provoke his argument and have his readers attempt to side with him. Wallace attempts to utilize a lot of pathos in his essay to evoke our feelings for these amazing crustaceans. He bombards the reader rhetorical questions as he’s questioning his cab driver about the MLF, “at the World 's Largest
Prepare For Future Some people say that human have to eat other creatures, because human used too many years and experienced too many difficulties for standing on the top of food chain. Human deserves to eat other animals. In Buddhism, it is publicize that every life is equal. With this education, the Dalai Lama always thinks things in moral ways. Thus, he writes an essay called “Ethics and the New Genetics”.
In the op-ed piece “A Change of Heart about Animals”, Jeremy Rifkin emphasizes the similarities between humans and animals by providing results on scientific research studies to illustrate that humans should be more empathetic towards animals. In addition, he further explains how research results have changed the ways humans perceived animals and indicates solutions that were taken by other countries and organizations to help improve and protect animal rights. Rifkin provides examples that demonstrate animals have emotions, conceptual abilities, self awareness, and a sense of individualism just like humans. For example, Pigs crave for affection and get depressed easily when isolated, two birds Betty and Abel have tool making skills, Koko
Alastair Norcross takes the position in the animal rights argument that torturing animals for their use is unacceptable. He asks to consider a case where a man, Fred, lost his ability to enjoy chocolate because he lost the ability to produce Cocoamone. Fred’s doctor tells him that a recent study shows that, when puppies are tortured and then brutally killed, they produce cocoamone that Fred can then harvest. So Fred sets up his basement where he can torture puppies and then slaughter them in order to taste chocolate again. Norcross claims that this is obviously wrong and draws a correlation between Fred’s case and the situation where we cause chickens to suffer in order to mass produce their meat.
According to Elizabeth Harman, an action that kills an animal even painlessly, is an action that harms the animal. If we indeed have strong moral reasons against causing pain to animals, Harman argues we must also have strong moral reasons against killing animals. This raises an objection to the Surprising Claim, which states that we have strong reasons against causing intense pain to animals, but only weak reasons against killing animals. The First View claims that killing an animal deprives it of a positive benefit (future life) but does not harm the animal.
Having unique characteristics and low-maintenance requirements make good pets out hermit crabs, according to Lianne McLeod, writing for The Spruce. Hermit crabs have small and soft abdomens that they protect by living in empty snail shells. As they grow bigger, they must look for bigger shells, and owners of these pets must progressively look for larger shells. The two main species of hermit crabs found in the US are the Coenobita clypeatus, commonly named as the Caribbean crab, purple pincher crab, land hermit crab, tree crab or soldier crab and the Coenobita compressus or the Ecuadorian crab.
The article “Consider the Lobster” by David Wallace opens a vivid, gruesome window, to a harsh truth that all lobster consumers push far back into the recesses of their minds. Wallace implores us to visit the controversial issue of boiling a live creature to death, for the sole purpose of our consumption. He uses a variety of literary persuasive tactics including the three rhetorical appeals Logos, Pathos and Ethos to drive home his argument to the reader. Throughout the article Wallace puts the reader on the front lines of a three-front war of convincing ethical, emotional and logical appeals.
On page 60, footnote 8 compares the pegging/banding of lobsters’ claws to the debeaking of broiler chickens, the cropping of swines’ tails, and the dehorning of cattle. Recognizing that the reader will likely fail to see the impact of the banding, Foster Wallace provides the comparison of other similar practices that will likely be more promptly deemed unacceptable. Under footnote 14, Foster Wallace extends the comparison, driving the reader to understand the distinction made between the consumption of mammals and non-mammals that is notable in speech. When describing mammals as food, we use separate words to distinguish them as creatures and dishes, such as “cow” and “beef,” and “pig” and “pork.” However, non-mammals share the same names in the wild and on menus, such as “shrimp,” “salmon,” and “lobster.”
The consumption of animal meat is highly accepted in today’s society, however, the methods, in which the animals are killed are sometimes questioned for their cruelty. David Wallace, in considering the Lobster, takes the readers to the Maine Lobster Festival, where the consumption of lobsters is exploited, and the festival's attendees celebrate these acts. However, the essay goes furthermore than narrating the lobster’s festival, because through sensory details, and different techniques, he makes the readers question society’s morality. By stressing the cruelty it takes boiling lobsters alive, Wallace is capable of creating a sense of awareness in society decisions that demonstrate their corrupted morality, and how it affects directly others (like lobsters)
Military Nurse’s Dilemma Chi Tiet University of Michigan - Flint Nurses are a group of professionals who faces a variety of ethical dilemmas while working. Therefore, these dilemmas cannot only impact on their personalities but also affect their patients. However, ethical dilemmas are argumentative and difficult to deal with, so there is no “right” or “wrong” answer for them. In a military nurse’s dilemma, a military RN is ordered to force feeding a terrorist prisoner while he is undergoing interrogation, and the prisoner is on a hunger strike protesting. The nurse is torn, but fearing of reprisal if orders are disobeyed, so the nurse is appalled at the over-riding a patient’s wish by force feeding him agains his wish.