SHOULD WE TREAT NON-HUMAN ANIMALS WELL BECAUSE THEY HAVE RIGHTS, INTERESTS, NEITHER, OR BOTH?

With the common occurrences of animal right campaigns and numerous laws that have been passed to benefit animals, the idea that we should treat non-human animals well is widespread in 2025. Many believe that treating animals well is morally right but are unsure about the philosophical reasoning behind why animals should be treated well. This essay will tackle this question in three steps to provide an answer. First, I will establish a viable theory on animal ethics to explain why (some) animals matter. Second, I will discuss why these animals should be treated well. I will first look at rights which I define as entitlements to own something or to perform certain actions and then look at interests which I define as what arouses the mind, regardless of whether it is essential for survival or not. Ultimately, I will conclude that although the fact that (some) animals have interests wouldn’t be an incorrect answer, the best answer would be neither rights or interests but sentience because it is fundamental to both interests and rights.