Utilitarianism

About the lecture

In this module, we locate issues of animal ethics in a utilitarian framework. We (i) revise the key tenets of the utilitarian view: its consequentialist outlook, and focus on general wellbeing (ii) examine how utilitarians view sentient non-human animals (iii) evaluate Jeremy Bentham’s notion of determining moral consideration on a creature’s capacity to experience pleasure and pain (iv) consider the reason why the utilitarian regards the interests of sentient beings equally.

About the lecturer

Dr Angie Pepper is a lecturer in Practical Philosophy, Theology, and Religion at the University of Roehampton. Her research interests are in animal ethics and global justice. Her recent publications include Is Animal Labour a Viable Route to Interspecies Justice? (2022), and Covid-19 and the Future of Zoos (2021)