The Privileged Ones 1

• Published in: Biotech Animals in Research pp. 163 - 172
• Main Author: Kemmerer, Lisa
• Format: Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: CRC Press 2024
• Edition: 1
• ISBN: 9781138369214; 1138369195; 9781138369191; 1138369217
• DOI: 10.1201/9780429428845-10

This essay uses a core tool of moral philosophy-consistency-to assess how we should live and what we ought to do (the basic and core question of normative ethics). The chapter represents a stance of total liberation-total liberation of anymals, humans, and the earth itself, from marginalization, denigration, and exploitation of any kind, including GM research.2 The chapter represents a stance of total liberation-total liberation of animals, humans, and the earth itself, from marginalization, denigration, and exploitation of any kind, including GM research. The question then arises among the Privileged Ones as to which vulnerable individuals they might legitimately exploit for their studies, and how they might justify such exploitation. Privileged researchers note that they, the Privileged Ones, are uniquely important-superior-and in any case stand to benefit so greatly that it is essential to exploit the vulnerable. Objectors also argue that the Privileged Ones have core moral rules that they must not break, such as a broad injunction not to exploit the vulnerable for hoped-for/imagined personal gains. In light of The Belmont Report-according to our own moral assessment and determinations and in light of the time-honoured moral principles of consistency and impartiality-we may not use mice, fish, macaques or any other animals for our research purposes.