Many human beings cannot understand moral concepts. Examples include children, people with intellectual disabilities and older people whose thinking has deteriorated.
Nevertheless, we believe we have moral obligations toward these people, even though they cannot themselves make ethical decisions.
In this connection, it is worth noting that humans are not the only animals capable of understanding moral concepts.
Continue with these questions:
- What evidence is there that other animals can make moral decisions?
- What do we gain by respecting other animals’ rights if they do not respect ours?
- Why should we treat animals better than they treat one another?
- What does the term “rights” mean?
- Where do rights come from?
- How can animals have rights?