Draft:Animal Rights

Introduction

The term animal rights is usually employed in the general sense to convey the idea that non-human animals are worthy of a high degree of moral consideration. In the context of philosophy, it may also be used to refer to a rights-based, deontological approach to animals as opposed to other philosophical frameworks such as utilitarianism or virtue ethics. Animal Rights can also refer to a legal concept, but that is outside the scope of this article.

In this article, we use the term in the general sense but in a philosophical context, covering:

• how animal rights philosophy contextually fits into the overall areas of philosophy
• the philosophical approaches to animal ethics
• the major philosophers who shaped the landscape
• the usefulness of animal rights philosophy in advocacy and outreach.