Utilitarianism and Buddist ethics: a comparative approach to the ethics of animal research
| dc.contributor.author | Watt, Sandra F. | en_US |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2009-11-04T14:55:06Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2009-11-04T14:55:06Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2006-11-04T14:55:06Z | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10464/2794 | |
| dc.description.abstract | This thesis explores the comparison utilitarianism and Buddhist ethics as they can be applied to animal research. It begins by examining some of the general discussions surrounding the use of animals in research. The historical views on the moral status of animals, the debate surrounding their use in animals, as well as the current 3R paradigm and its application in Canadian research are explored. The thesis then moves on to expound the moral system of utilitarianism as put forth by Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill, as well as contemporary additions to the system. It also looks at the basics of Buddhist ethics well distinguishing the Mahayana from the Therevada. Three case studies in animal research are used to explore how both systems can be applied to animal research. It then offers a comparison as to how both ethical systems function within the field of animal research and explores the implications in their application on its practice. | en_US |
| dc.language.iso | eng | en_US |
| dc.publisher | Brock University | en_US |
| dc.subject | Utilitarianism. | en_US |
| dc.subject | Buddhist ethics. | en_US |
| dc.subject | Animal experimentation--Moral and ethical aspects. | en_US |
| dc.subject | Animal welfare--Moral and ethical aspects. | en_US |
| dc.title | Utilitarianism and Buddist ethics: a comparative approach to the ethics of animal research | en_US |
| dc.type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation | en |
| dc.degree.name | M.A. Philsophy | en_US |
| dc.degree.level | Masters | en_US |
| dc.contributor.department | Department of Philosophy | en_US |
| dc.degree.discipline | Faculty of Humanitities | en_US |
| refterms.dateFOA | 2021-08-08T01:33:13Z |
Files in this item
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
Related items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
Ethics in government and businessCanadians appear to hold the activities of those in government and in big business in low esteem. Media reports of several high-profile political and corporate instances of unethical conduct have reinforced the public's concern for the status of ethical conduct and honesty in government and in big business. The response by public and private sector managers to unethical conduct by employees is largely in the form of 'ethical rules' which both sectors agree provide a measure of certainty as to the ethical conduct expected from employees. Since research on ethics in the public and private sectors is limited and since ethics is a topic of increasing concern to both sectors, this thesis provides data that could assist managers in dealing with the issue of ethical conduct within their respective organizations. The purpose of this thesis is to compare the state of ethical conduct within public and private sector organizations in Canada. This is accomplished through a description and analysis of the approaches taken by the public and private sectors as well as the four professions of law, engineering, accountancy and medicine. Ethical conduct within the public sector focuses on the ethical behaviour of public servants rather than elected officials. The underlying intent of this thesis is to discover if contemporary ethical problems are similar in the public and iv private sectors with respect to the four ethical areas of conflict of interest, political activity, problem public comment and confidentiality. The comparative data on both public and private sector ethics are assessed and similarities and differences are identified. One major finding emerges from this study. Codes of ethics in both the public and private sectors are perceived by management to play an important role in the prevention of unethical conduct. A procedure for developing a code of ethics is presented along with recommendations as to the administration of a code of ethics. Finally, recommendations are made as to the role of education in ethics.
-
Accountants' ethical sensitivityO'Fallon and Butterfield (2005) in a review of the business ethics literature concluded that "ethical awareness" also called ethical sensitivity has received the least attention of the four steps in Rest's (1986) ethical decision making model. Available measures for ethical sensitivity are limited to specific contexts and suffer from several limitations. I extend the previous literature by creating a new measure for ethical sensitivity (AESS) that encompasses relevant dimensions for the accounting profession and is not specific to a particular setting. I also introduce a new individual differences variable to the accounting ethics literature. Specifically, I investigate the relationship between anti-intellectualism and ethical awareness. My findings support AESS as a measure of ethical sensitivity.
-
Ethics, tourists and the environmental practices of the North American cruise ship industry: a comparison study of the ethical standards of Alaskan and Caribbean cruise ship touristsAlthough a great deal of research has already been conducted on businesses and environmental ethics, little research has been undertaken in the area of ethics and tourism-related businesses. Even less research has been undertaken in the area of ethics and tourists. The cruise ship industry is a sector of the tourism industry that has been fined millions of dollars in penalties for its seemingly lack of an environmental ethic. Yet, the cruise industry is the fastest growing sector of the tourism industry, with 8.4% growth each year since 1980. In North America the growth rate has been a staggering 15% per year since 1998. While it would be easy to sit back and criticize the cruise ship industry for its lack of environmental concern, it is important to recognize that tourists may have a role in the industry’s practices. Tourists support the industry and without them the industry would not have experienced the growth that it has achieved. Consequently, this research sought to examine the role of ethics in sustainability, particularly as it applies to the tourism industry and more specifically tourists. By examining the ethical standards and orientation of cruise ship tourists, it was anticipated that valuable foundational knowledge would be gleaned on the role that tourists can be expected to play in sustainability. There were three objectives of this research. The first objective was to examine and compare the ethical standards and orientation of Alaskan and Caribbean cruise tourists. The second objective was to examine and compare Alaskan and Caribbean cruise tourists’ level of acceptance of the environmental practices of the industry, while the third objective was to create awareness amongst cruise ship tourists of the impacts of the industry and, more importantly, their impacts as tourists. An extensive literature review was undertaken to examine ethical and moral theory, which led to the examination of business and tourism ethics, and ultimately environmental ethics and the cruise ship industry. Two research sites were chosen as representing two different cruise ship markets: Alaska and Cozumel. Data was collected in Skagway and Juneau, Alaska from August 22nd to August 30th, 2004 and in Cozumel, Mexico from January 13th to January 22nd, 2005, by means of a self-administered questionnaire. Overall, 237 surveys were completed in Alaska and 246 were completed in Cozumel. The use of the Multidimensional Ethics Scale (MES) in the questionnaire permitted an analysis of the ethical standard of respondents from these two different markets. Overall, Alaskan respondents were found to have a higher standard of ethical conduct than Cozumel respondents. Alaskan and Cozumel respondents differed on the type of ethical orientation they were likely to employ when judging the ethical MES scenario in the questionnaire. There were also significant differences between males and females in Cozumel regarding the strength of their ethical orientation, with female Cozumel respondents utilizing a significantly stronger justice orientation than male respondents. The analysis also revealed that the majority of respondents found the environmental practices of the cruise ship industry unacceptable. However, females in both Alaska and Cozumel found the industry’s practices to be significantly more unacceptable than did male respondents. An interesting finding revealed itself through the negative correlation between the number of cruises taken and how the Alaskan respondents reacted to two sections of the questionnaire. Specifically, the more cruises the Alaskan respondents had been on, the more likely they were to find the environmental practices of the industry acceptable, and the more likely they were to find the captain’s behaviour to be ethical in the MES scenario.
