In North America and Europe, around 17 billion animals were raised and killed during 2001 to feed us. The vast majority of these animals were forced to live an die in conditions most of us would find morally repugnant. Yet their use- and the use of comparable numbers of animals every year- has been justified by the belief that nonhuman animals do not deserve significant moral consideration. Several plausible ethical theories argue that this belief is mistaken. Utilitarianism is one such theory that condemns much of our present use of animals. If this theory is reasonable, then most of us should change the way we live.
