Politics and Ethics

Meet American culture: The widespread belief that politicians LIE. They lie through their teeth, with grins on their faces, as they give money to charities, as they get elected, as they give speeches, as they lead us to war, and tell us our planet isn't being destroyed by our actions. Politicians lie. Clearly the American populace wonders at the ethics of a politician. Yet we let these men and women lead us... Perhaps that is in acknowledgement of the fact that all people lie (or so we assume, since we ourselves do).

Seneca gave up his views on vegetarianism, and animal rights, in order to pursue his political dreams. He, a man who gave up his own views, was a tutor to Nero! The speechwriter of George W. Bush was a vegan (was, as in he quit). 

Is a good future more important, does it suit better than respecting animals? Animals, by utilitarianism, aren't capable of feeling pain the same way humans do--physical yes, mental no (or so it has been argued). By contractarianism animals don't yield the same respect. Essentially animals are respected because of indirect duties, for a large part. Are our indirect duties to humanity more important than ourselves? 

No. If we each selfishly followed our own paths---that is not humane at all! If I murder this man, it may not be humane, but it suits my needs better. If I kill and eat this orphaned infant it will provide me nourishment, and maybe I believe it will provide a spiritual benefit enabling me to reach my goals more efficiently, so it's OK. The infant has nobody to care about it to be harmed by a utilitarian perspective, I'm good with it----but it does conflict to duties to humanity. If someone followed that selfish (and grotesque) path ---there is no humanity in that person, by Western standards. 

What else will a  person who can eat an infant without guilt do? If you can go against your principles of ethics for a job--what else might be a reason? If Seneca abandoned his vegetarianism for a political position--what else might a man abandon in favor of something material? 

I'm not quite sure that I want to know! 

~Jessica 

a.k.a. "Simplice"