He is a professor of philosophy and wrote the book "Animal Liberation" which is considered as the bible of the animal rights movement. Let me note that Singer himself has no particular interest in animals. He is not a pet owner or extreme pet lover. He fights for animal rights solely because he is convinced that it is incorrect not to give then any and not because he loves animals more than anything and feels bad for them. Singer claims that animals have a nervous system like humans and can therefore feel just as much pain. This is one of the reasons why animals should not be used for fur (1ff). He also argues:.
"I argue that there can be no reason-except the selfish desire to preserve the.
selfish privileges of the exploiting group-for refusing to extend the basic .
principle of equality[ ] to members of other species.I ask you to recognize that .
your attitudes towards members of other species are a form of prejudice no less .
objectionable than prejudice about a person's race or sex" (18).
He furthermore states that it is not right to deprive animals of any rights just because they are less intelligent, cannot think abstract or cannot practice justice because they cannot think reflective. The key is not identical treatment but equal treatment. After all, women and men, children and adults have equal rights, although they are different (19). Almost nobody in our society would agree that women are a man's property or should not have the right to vote. Furthermore, nobody would agree that children should have fewer rights and should therefore work in coal mines like they used to do. Moreover, children in the Roman Empire were the possession of their father, which enabled them to legally kill their sons for any reason if they wanted to. Again nobody in our civilization would consider this as right. I agree with Singer when he says that the "basic element-the taking into account of the interests of the being, whatever those interests may be- must according to the principle of equality be extended to all beings, black and white, masculine or feminine, human or non-human[ ](19).
