Lead Participator Week 4
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University of Tampa *
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Course
210
Subject
Philosophy
Date
Feb 20, 2024
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Pages
3
Uploaded by JusticeElement13295
Lead Participator Week 4
1. On pages 84 and 85, Nussbaum tells the story of a woman names Vasanti and a girl
called Sissy Jupe in order to illustrate an idea about human development. What is the idea?
Please start your answer with your name. Please put your name at the beginning of your
answer.
Nussbaum is communicating that the best developmental policies take a wide range of human
experiences into the picture and are about giving equal opportunities to individuals. Additionally,
statistics about an average of the population can be misleading in that a state's average may
appear high, but fails to mention the disparity/deviations from said average or that other areas are
significantly lacking. Nussbaum stresses that exceeding in one capability can not make up for
lacking in another area.
2. What are capabilities?Please put your name at the beginning of your answer so that I
know whose answer it is.
Capabilities are fundamental protected freedoms that allow people to choose to follow a value.
3. What is the relationship between the capabilities approach to human development and
the capabilities approach to what Nussbaum calls “basic justice.” Please put your name at
the beginning of your answer so that I know whose answer it is.
The capabilities approach in human development is about defining the success and achievement
of a nation by the opportunities it provides each person. The "basic justice" capabilities are what
a person is born with, that gives them the intent and right to pursue their ends. I think the "basic
justice" capabilities are more about what a human is born with, while human development is
about how to make efficient policies that protect those rights through widespread use.
4. What do you take to be the main similarities and differences between 1) the capabilities
approach to basic justice for humans and other animals and 2) utilitarianism?Please put
your name at the beginning of your answer so that I know whose answer it is.
The main similarities between the approach to basic justice for humans and other animals and
utilitarianism is that both consider the wellbeing of the individual. The difference between basic
justice is that it takes a more holistic approach to wellness and considers more than just
happiness and suffering. It also defines wellness differently for animals and humans, while still
recognizing the value of animals, it acknowledges that they have different ends and alters an
animals values accordingly. Utilitarianism overlooks this.
5. What do you take to be the main similarities and differences between 1) the capabilities
approach and 2) Kant’s deontology?Please put your name at the beginning of your answer
so that I know whose answer it is.
Similarities between the capabilities approach and Kant's deontology are that both believe that
humans should be treated as an end and not as a means. They consider the individual, and not the
wellness of the population at large. However, the capabilities approach says it's okay to consider
the population, when considering how the harm of a population could affect individuals of the
population or individuals of other populations. The capabilities approach also, unlike Kant's
deontology, recognizes some animals as sentient and having dignity. The capabilities approach
just states that these animals have different ends then us, but that does not mean they have no
ends.
6. Please choose one or two sentences from the reading that stood out to you as especially
interesting. Type them in here and try to explain what interests you about them please
include page numbers. Please put your name at the beginning of your answer so that I
know whose answer it is.
"Kant thought only humans have dignity. Mill and I (with Korsgaard) beg to differ: all sentient
animals have a dignity of their own, which deserves respect. They should not be treated as
means, and the central question of this book is what that insight demands from law and policy."
(The Capabilities Approach 92). I found this interesting because it addresses a part of Kant's
deontology that was difficult for me to wrap my head around. To me, it seemed obvious that
sentient animals deserved respect and it took some time to understand how Kant could see
animals as things to love, but not respect. I align with this view, a lot better.
7. Please choose one or two sentences from the reading that stood out to you as especially
puzzling. Type them in here and try to explain what puzzles you about them. Please include
page numbers. Please put your name at the beginning of your answer so that I know whose
answer it is.
"Animals do not speak human language, but they have a wide range of language like ways of
communicating about their situation, and if we humans happen to be in the driver's seat
politically, it should be our responsibility to attend to those voices, to figure out how animals are
doing and what obstacles they face" (97). I don't necessarily find the language of this particular
statement hard to understand, but I just want to make sure I'm getting the concept of the
application of the capabilities approach to animals correct. After analyzing, I understood the
point of the Capabilities Approach as being a theory that guides policy making by identifying
common capabilities and these capabilities are meant to include common and widespread values
of people in different circumstances to protect them and their opportunities. These then extend to
animals but its up to human animal experts to create policy and capabilities for them,
specifically, as they should be treated as an ends but since they have different ends, thats going to
look differently then it does for humans.
8. What do you feel like you understand most clearly about the capabilities to approach
justice for humans and other animals?
I think I understand the rules about when to intervene in a pet's healthcare. For instance,
declawing a cat is wrong because cats are naturally meant to have claws and if they are
stimulated, enriched, and properly trained, the claws should not interfere in the owner's life. But,
without the claws, the cat is not natural and cannot enjoy scratching or climbing as much.
Declawing the cat only benefits the owners by allowing them to train the cat less and, if you
cannot dedicate that time to your cat, why get one? This ideology makes a lot of sense to me and
I agree with it. I feel like I could apply it to other scenarios as well.
9. Which aspect(s) of the capabilities approach most resists your understanding?Please put
your name at the beginning of your answer so that I know whose answer it is.
Abigail Carmichael- It resists my understanding to think about parakeets, goldfish, turtles,
canaries, etc as captive wild animals and not as pets. I guess it's clear there's a big difference
between these animals and cats and dogs. A cat and dog will love you back more than a goldfish
or the other animals could display that. Is that what the difference between wild captive animals
and a pet is, or are there other differences? I wonder what living alongside them in your home
looks like as opposed to treating them like a pet
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