“Animal welfare” is today the centre of attention of European legislators, being the topic of ethical and scientific theories as well as a subject of public debate. Due to its vocation to clarification, philosophy is particularly suitable for analyzing the conceptual premises and the different perspectives of this broad discussion. The present course examines the theories of animal welfare, their practical applications, and the implications in terms of sustainability.
The course aims at providing the critical elements necessary to distinguish animal ethics, outlined in its main trends, from animal welfare theories. The course not only provides a theoretical insight into the aspects involved, but also aims at training students' evaluative skills with respect to the connections between animal husbandry and sustainable economics.
This course aims at examining the issue of animal welfare from a theoretical and practical point of view. It will illustrate the specificity of a theoretical approach that is focused on animal welfare compared to the more general discussion of animal ethics. In particular, theoretical and practical tools will be provided in order to understand what is the meaning of “breeding” in accordance with animal welfare and why this kind of husbandry has a positive impact on sustainability.
At the end of the course, the student:
- will acquire adequate knowledge of the key elements that are considered in the different definitions of animal welfare;
- will be familiar with the scientific and ethical questions related to the assessment of animal welfare;
- will be able to analyze – from a philosophical point of view – the contributions of different disciplines for a better understanding of animal welfare;
- will be able to autonomously evaluate the theoretical and practical advantages and disadvantages of the examined perspectives;
- will be able to create correlations between the theoretical level of the discussion and the practical applications in the field of animal husbandry and to evaluate how to establish an effective communication between these two levels.
Since classes and exams are held in English, the knowledge of this language is an essential requirement.
Lectures. In particular, these are the planned activities: presentation of the topics, reading and discussion of the texts, answers to the students’ questions and time for discussion.
The course is divided into two main parts. In the first part, the theory developed by Bernard Rollin will be introduced and discussed. This theory will be also contextualized with respect to other perspectives. The examination of this theory will serve, in addition, as a basis for introducing the main theoretical questions related to animal welfare:
- the multivocity of the concept of animal welfare and the importance of a minimal shared definition;
- animal suffering and its connection to intensive farming;
- the problematic relationship between science and ethics and their particular contributions to the understanding of animal welfare;
- the importance of shared moral values and of an active participation of the whole society;
- the possible strategies that are suggested for changing the mentality and the behavior of human beings with respect to animals.
In the second part, the focus will be on farm animal welfare from a practical point of view. We will mainly investigate the following topics:
- the indicators and guiding principles of animal welfare in breeding farms;
- the most significant factors that contribute to the welfare of farm animals (such as health, nutrition, freedom from pain and fear, sociality and behavior);
- the relationship between animal welfare and sustainability.
Attending students:
B. Rollin, A New Basis for Animal Ethics: Telos and Common Sense, University of Missouri Press, 2016.
B. Rollin, Animal Rights and Human Morality, 3rd ed., Prometheus Books, New York 2006, chapter 1 (pp. 33-142).
M.C. Appleby, I.A.S. Olsson, F. Galindo (eds.), Animal Welfare. 3rd Edition, CAB International, Wallingford/Boston 2008, chapters: 2, 9, 15, 19.
T. Grandin (ed.), Improving Animal Welfare, 2nd Edition. A Practical Approach, CAB International, Wallingford/Boston 2015, chapters:. 8, 15.
Non-attending students:
T. Grandin (ed.), Improving Animal Welfare, 2nd Edition. A Practical Approach, CAB International, Wallingford/Boston 2015, chapters: 8, 15.
G.J. Benson, B.E. Rollin (eds), The Well-Being of Farm Animals. Challenges and Solutions, Blackwell, Oxford 2004, chapters: 3, 5.
Further materials will be provided by the teacher on aulaweb.
CHIARA PASQUALIN (President)
SIMONA LANGELLA
PAOLO DE LUCIA (Substitute)
STEFANIA ZANARDI (Substitute)
20 February 2024
The exam will be oral and will evaluate the knowledge of the topics presented in the course and the texts mentioned in the bibliography.
The exam will verify the acquisition of the concepts illustrated in the course and the students’ ability to critically understand the different theories that have been examined. In particular, it will evaluate:
- the knowledge of the specific terminology;
- the clarity of the exposition;
- the ability to establish connections between the various topics and the capacity for personal re-elaboration;
- the ability to apply the acquired knowledge in order to independently assess the strengths and weaknesses of the examined perspectives from a theoretical, practical and argumentative point of view.
