Moral Status or Moral Value? The Former May Require Phenomenal Consciousness, But Does It Matter?

Consciousness-based approaches to moral status are inadequate for guiding policy decisions concerning nonhumans, according to Shepherd (2023). The author argues that such approaches fail to provide a sufficient framework for determining how nonhumans should be treated in policy contexts, suggesting that alternative criteria are needed to address the moral status of nonhumans.

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Abstract

Shepherd (2023) is concerned about the moral status of nonhumans and argues that consciousness-based approaches to moral status are inadequate to guide policy decisions. Consciousness-based approac...