The Philosophy Department hosted an event on Thursday titled “A Two-Level Utilitarian Perspective on Animals” in Withers Hall lasting from 4:30 p.m. until 7 p.m.  

Gary Varner, a philosophy professor from Texas A&M University, spoke to a crowd of 25 about  two-level utilitarianism and animal rights.

Varner’s work uses the two-level utilitarian perspective of ethics, created by philosopher R.M. Hare.

Varner said he classifies beings into three categories: persons, near-persons and the sentient.

He said people are capable of comprehending a biographical sense of self, and near-persons have consciousness of the past but can’t use that information to change the future.  The sentient are beings “that can suffer and feel enjoyment, but have no consciousness of the past.” Varner said.  

A one-hour slideshow presentation was followed by a question and answer session in which both faculty members and students had a chance to respond to Varner’s argument. 

“The roundtable setting is really nice,” said Gray Maddrey, a junior in philosophy.  

Maddrey said that being able to talk with the speaker is more conducive to a philosophical atmosphere.

He said he usually attends philosophical events, Maddrey said, but he was especially attracted to this event because of his interest in the morality surrounding animals.  

“I try to ascribe to veganism,” Maddrey said. 

He said we can’t critically discuss morality without discussing animal rights.

Varner said that animals lack the ability to be both sentient beings and comprehend the utilitarian perspective. 

“I am not aware of any non-human animals that are good candidates for personhood,” Varner said.  

He said the evidence does not demonstrate that they have any biographical perspective on life.

Varner recently published a book titled Personhood, Ethics, and Animal Cognition: Studying Animals in Hare’s Two-Level Utilitarianism.