Animal (Bio)ethics – A Philosophical Background

Abstract

Today, we are still dealing with the unresolved question about the relationship between humans and animals, which belong to distinctly and significantly different ontological stages. Can this ontological differentiation, which imposes certain insurmountable limits of argumentation in favour of a behaviour, guided by moral rules, concerning animals and the very thought of their rights in general, be considered sufficient? Or, in the modern ethical discussion, we should require an adaptive reorientation of the argument, if it refers to the normative regulation of our behaviour towards animals? Is it possible to create and apply animal bioethics?