Date of Graduation
5-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy
Degree Level
Undergraduate
Department
Philosophy
Advisor/Mentor
Donohue, Jenna
Committee Member
Plavcan, Mike
Second Committee Member
Purdy, Ashley
Third Committee Member
Castro Salas, Raquel
Abstract
Our relationships define us. We have different relationships and obligations towards animals based on the societies we live in and the attitudes that individuals choose to have with these animals. People often see themselves as having more moral value than other animals based on the fact that they perceive themselves as having greater intelligence and conscious ability. I think this notion is misguided and the way that people actually perceive moral value is in terms of their relationships with the subject in question. If life was truly perceived in a “more intellect than more moral value” lens then the permissibility of eating a dog would be much more acceptable than eating a pig in Western countries. Pigs have demonstrated intelligence levels that are superior to dogs and on the level of a small child. Yet, they remain one of the most commonly eaten animals in the world. The same cannot be said about dogs. In many countries around the world, people view dogs as pets and animals that should be taken care of. But there are exceptions to this standard. In some countries, it is socially acceptable to eat animals that are considered pets in the United States because the people of those countries do not view them as pets. With this view in mind, I want to explore healthcare, particularly end of life care in pets. Pets in particular are treated almost like an extended member of the family. They are loved and taken care of and I think that by seeing how we approach care for them, we can potentially learn more about how we should approach care for humans. One of the main reasons someone puts their pet down is to alleviate it from pain and suffering. By learning more about end-of-life care in pets, I want to see if the situation can be analogous to people and if we are being logically inconsistent in how we approach end of life care in humans.
Keywords
Philosophy; Medical Ethics; Applied Ethics
Citation
Atluri, P. (2025). End of Life Care in Pets and What It Tells Us About The Moral Permissibility of Physician-Assisted Suicide. Philosophy Undergraduate Honors Theses Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/philuht/7
