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Personal Statement
A large
body of my art deals with "empathy". I view the capacity to be
empathetic as a unique characteristic of our humanity allowing us to be
morally aware and sympathetic to the world around us.
My
concerns lie primarily with animal intensive farming practices where
animals are used for food production, and where animals are killed in
sports where the purpose is to hunt and kill for "fun".
These
practices raise questions of not only about the unacceptable outcomes
for the animals, but also the ethics of a behaviour viewed as being
"acceptable" to much of society. It would appear that the code of moral
evaluation regarding animal welfare is based on the view that humanness,
by its very essence, is of supreme value, regardless of the individual's
moral codes of behaviour, or our capacities to brutalize. I view,
however, that animal abuse in this context is as offensive as human
abuse. It is through my art and the act of empathy that I attempt to
challenge societal values of animal welfare.
I question:
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Should we not value the needs, the pleasures that animals demonstrate
in their own world, or, do their needs not have worth?
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How is it that unkindness towards animals can be justified morally,
seeing that animals recoil from pain?
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How relevant is the human capacity (when not disabled) in its ability
for rational thought?
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Or, is the line between animal and human drawn on religious principles
that one goes "to heaven" and the other doesn't ... or can't?
The
philosopher Peter Singer argues,
"once
we ask WHY it should be that all humans, including psychopaths,
mass killers such as Hitler, Stalin and the rest, as having some
intrinsic dignity or worth that no elephant, dog, pig or chimpanzee
can ever achieve, it then becomes philosophically difficult to
justify". ("Animal Liberation" pub. 1974)
As we
strive in the 21st century to become a tolerant and caring
society, I attempt through my art to continue to raise awareness and to
be empathetic to the pain/abuse of any being, whether that be
human or animal.
Malle Morley |
(Click on thumbnails to see painting in finer detail)
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