Abstract
In 1993, when the Life Conservationist Association was founded, a life-based philosophy of Life Protection was also proposed. It becomes the guiding principles for theory building and points out the direction for actual practice.
Yet, to keep away from narrowing the development of the Association as becoming a religious group, a non-religious assertion for animal protection has to be established. Therefore, the Association has translated and published Peter Singer’s monument, Animal Liberation in 1996, in order to introduce ideas of animal protection in the West. This work has become a classic and it has provided powerful theoretical framework supporting the argument of animal protection.
This article begins with the position of animal protection in Taiwan. It analyses how the Life Conservationist Association applies the argument of animal liberation, to promote Animal Rights as a starting point, in order to establish native argument for animal liberation. The paper can be divided into four sections: First, introduction of main arguments in animal liberation and explanation of Peter Singer’s view point of how Rights can become the main concept of animal protection. Second, explanation of discursive coalition of the Animal Rights, Animal Welfare and Environmental ethics. It shows that how the argument of animal protection can become a public issue, and push the policy of animal protection in Taiwan. Third, integration of the actual experience of Taiwan Animal Rights movement, with reference to Richard Hare’s core elements of morality thinking, which can advance the assertion of animal ethics. Fourth, exploration of how philosophy of Life Protection can communicate with Animal Rights and Environment Rights, so that the position of such philosophy can be ensured within the theoretical framework of animal protection. |
