Broiler Chickens and a Critique of the Epistemic Foundations of Animal Modification
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Broiler Chickens and a Critique of the Epistemic Foundations of Animal Modification Samantha Noll
Accepted: 1 December 2011 / Published online: 20 December 2011 Ó Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2011
Abstract Within this paper, I critique the history of the modification of the broiler chicken through selective breeding and possible future genetic modification. I utilize Margaret Atwood’s fictitious depiction of genetically engineered chickens, from her novel Oryx and Crake, in order to forward the argument that modifications that eliminate animal telos either move beyond the range of current ethical frameworks or can be ethically defended by them. I then utilize the work of feminist epistemologists to argue that understanding what it means to be a chicken shapes our conceptions of what modifications are or are not acceptable. Taking into account justifications stemming from practical knowledge when making ontological claims can help to shift our understanding of what animal modifications can or cannot be justified. The paper ends by addressing three possible problems brought about by accepting such justifications. Keywords Philosophy of agriculture Agriculture Selective breeding Genetic modification Animal husbandry Animal ethics Animal metaphysics Ontology Epistemology Chickens
Margaret Atwood, in her biotech apocalyptic novel Oryx and Crake, depicts a future where genetic engineering has twisted the animal kingdom into something much different than it is today. Atwood’s world is a place where scientists create hybrid species such as ‘‘pigoons’’ (pig-like creatures engineered for organ harvest), ‘‘snats’’ (a hybrid between a rat and snake), and genetically engineered chickens that have been practically reduced to a blob of breast meat (Atwood 2004). Although this is a S. Noll (&) Department of Philosophy, Michigan State University, 216 S. Clemens Ave Apt A, Lansing, MI 48912, USA e-mail: [email protected]
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work of fiction, currently great strides have been made in the modification of animals for medical purposes and food use (Prather et al. 2008). This makes Atwood’s picture of the future seem more plausible than one may have first thought. Within this paper, I specifically critique the history of the modification of the broiler chicken. I utilize the work of feminist epistemologists in this critique to forward the argument that the understanding of what it means to be a chicken shapes our conceptions of what modifications are or are not acceptable. In addition, I argue that utilizing justifications stemming from practical knowledge as well as physical knowledge when making ontological claims can shift our understanding of what modifications of animals (through selective breeding and genetic modification) can be justified. The practice of the modification of animals is not going away any time soon. However, without critiquing the epistemic foundations of such a practice, I fear that we are in danger of making a future like the one depicted in Atwood’s novel a reality. Whi
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