Peterson is correct (IMO) that “right” is a shorthand for behavioral constraints on people, not something innate. He’s also right that animals cannot (as far as we know) think abstractly enough to respect or exercise rights. I disagree that rights are based on agreements—they’re more about commonly-held expectations and social reinforcements, but that’s not relevant to the question at hand.
So I don’t think animals have rights (and honestly, I don’t think humans do either, in a universal sense; Rights are always contextual). But I also don’t think “rights” is the best filter for how to treat other entities. You should be asking “which animal experiences have moral weight, and how does that compare to the weight of various human desires”?
For me, the answer is “nonzero, but much much lower than humans”. And I don’t know how to answer existential questions like “would it be better for a being to never exist, or to live in well-fed captivity for some time, then die painfully?”
To your object-level recommendation that we “bestow” (I’d prefer “recognize” as a verb that applies better to the concept of rights) animal’s rights, I say no. They have the right to remain tasty (or, in the case of pets, “entertaining/useful/comforting”) for humans. If they choose to give up that right, they won’t be brought into being in the first place.
Peterson is correct (IMO) that “right” is a shorthand for behavioral constraints on people, not something innate. He’s also right that animals cannot (as far as we know) think abstractly enough to respect or exercise rights. I disagree that rights are based on agreements—they’re more about commonly-held expectations and social reinforcements, but that’s not relevant to the question at hand.
So I don’t think animals have rights (and honestly, I don’t think humans do either, in a universal sense; Rights are always contextual). But I also don’t think “rights” is the best filter for how to treat other entities. You should be asking “which animal experiences have moral weight, and how does that compare to the weight of various human desires”?
For me, the answer is “nonzero, but much much lower than humans”. And I don’t know how to answer existential questions like “would it be better for a being to never exist, or to live in well-fed captivity for some time, then die painfully?”
To your object-level recommendation that we “bestow” (I’d prefer “recognize” as a verb that applies better to the concept of rights) animal’s rights, I say no. They have the right to remain tasty (or, in the case of pets, “entertaining/useful/comforting”) for humans. If they choose to give up that right, they won’t be brought into being in the first place.