Ingabe izilwane zinelungelo lokuphila? Encwadini yakhe entsha ethi, Lesser Brothers: Our Commitment to Animals, uprofesa wefilosofi yaseHarvard uChristine Korsgiard uthi abantu ngokwemvelo ababalulekile ukudlula ezinye izilwane.
Umfundisi e-Harvard kusukela ngo-1981, i-Korsgiard igxile ezindabeni eziphathelene nefilosofi yokuziphatha kanye nomlando wayo, i-ejensi, kanye nobudlelwane phakathi komuntu nesilwane. UKorsgiard sekuyisikhathi eside ekholelwa ukuthi isintu kufanele siphathe izilwane kangcono kunaso. Useneminyaka engaphezu kwengu-40 engadli imifino futhi usanda kudla imifino.
“Abanye abantu bacabanga ukuthi abantu babaluleke kakhulu kunezinye izilwane. Ngiyabuza: kubani obaluleke kakhulu? Singase sibaluleke kakhulu kithina, kodwa lokho akuchazi ukuphatha izilwane sengathi azibalulekile kithina, nakweminye imindeni uma kuqhathaniswa nomndeni wethu,” kusho uKorsgiard.
UKorsgiard wayefuna ukwenza isihloko sokuziphatha kwezilwane sifinyeleleke ekufundeni kwansuku zonke encwadini yakhe entsha. Naphezu kokukhula kwemakethe yenyama ye-vegan kanye nokwanda kwenyama yeselula, u-Korsgiard uthi akanalo ithemba lokuthi abantu abaningi bakhetha ukunakekela izilwane. Kodwa-ke, ukukhathazeka ngokushintsha kwesimo sezulu kanye nokulahleka kwezinhlobonhlobo zezinto eziphilayo kusengazizuzisa izilwane ezifuyelwe ukudla.
“Abantu abaningi bakhathazekile ngokulondolozwa kwezinhlobo zezinto eziphilayo, kodwa lokhu akufani nokuphatha isilwane ngasinye ngendlela efanele. Kodwa ukucabanga ngale mibuzo kuye kwadonsela ukunakekela endleleni esiphatha ngayo izilwane, futhi kuthenjwa ukuthi abantu bazocabanga okwengeziwe ngalezi zinto,” kusho uprofesa.
I-Korsgiard ayiyedwa ekucabangeni ukuthi ukudla kwezitshalo kwakha ukunyakaza okuhlukile kumalungelo ezilwane. UNina Geilman, Ph.D. ku-Sociology e-Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, ungumcwaningi emkhakheni we-veganism, izimbangela eziyinhloko eziguqulelwe emkhakheni wokudla okunempilo nokusimeme: "Ikakhulukazi kule minyaka engu-3-5 edlule, i-veganism waphenduka ngempela empilweni yokunyakaza kwamalungelo ezilwane. Ngokufika kwezinkundla zokuxhumana namadokhumentari, abantu abaningi bathola ulwazi olwengeziwe ngalokho abakufaka emizimbeni yabo, ngokwempilo, nangezilwane kanye nemvelo.”
Ilungelo lokuphila
Isishoshovu samalungelo ezilwane u-Ed Winters, owaziwa kangcono ku-inthanethi njengo-Earthman Ed, usanda kuvakashela e-Harvard ukuze axoxisane nabafundi basekolishi ngokubaluleka kokuziphatha kwezilwane.
“Lisho ukuthini ilungelo lokuphila kubantu?” ebuza kuvideo. Abaningi baphendula ngokuthi ukuhlakanipha, imizwa namandla okuhlupheka okunikeza abantu ilungelo lokuphila. UWinters wabe esebuza ukuthi ukucabangela kwethu ukuziphatha kufanele yini kube ngezilwane.
Abanye baphithene amakhanda ngesikhathi kuxoxwa, kodwa kukhona nabafundi abebebona kufanele ukuthi izilwane zifakwe ekucutshungulweni kokuziphatha, bechaza ukuthi lokhu kungenxa yokuthi bathola ukuxhumana nabantu, injabulo, ukudabuka nobuhlungu. UWinters uphinde wabuza ukuthi ngabe izilwane kufanele ziphathwe njengabantu ngabanye yini kunempahla, nokuthi ingabe ikhona yini indlela yokuziphatha yokuhlaba nokusebenzisa ezinye izinto eziphilayo njengempahla engenakuxhashazwa.
UWinters wabe esegxila emphakathini wangaleso sikhathi futhi wabuza ukuthi kusho ukuthini “ukubulawa kwabantu”. Umfundi uthe "indaba yomuntu siqu". UWinters uphethe le ngxoxo ngokucela abafundi ukuthi babheke izindawo zokuxhelwa kwezilwane eziku-inthanethi ukuze babone ukuthi ziyahambisana yini nokuziphatha kwabo, wengeza ngokuthi “lapho sazi okwengeziwe, kulapho sikwazi khona ukwenza izinqumo ezinolwazi.”