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Environmental bioethics: college students' conception of the use of animals for food, work, entertainment and company purposes

Abstract

Society needs new ethical guidelines to underlie their decisions regarding the use of animals. However, the dialogue between the cultural, social and personal dimensions requires the intervention of tools such as Environmental Bioethics. This study aimed to characterize the conception of the use of animals of college students in order to provide grants for environmental education programs. We were conducted 87 interviews on the emotional and cultural conception, and their ethical position on the use of animals for food, vestment, work, entertainment and company. The analysis indicates that part of the contemporary tendency towards respect involved the human/animal relationship, that their ethical positions indicated a greater relationship with the purpose then with the professional affinity. This demands the development of intervention programs through information and awareness, in order to encourage the discussion of these subjects in science education, for the purpose of enabling students in making decisions and exercising full citizenship.

Keywords:
Animal welfare; Bioethics; Animal ethics; Environmental education

Programa de Pós-Graduação em Educação para a Ciência, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Faculdade de Ciências, campus de Bauru. Av. Engenheiro Luiz Edmundo Carrijo Coube, 14-01, Campus Universitário - Vargem Limpa CEP 17033-360 Bauru - SP/ Brasil , Tel./Fax: (55 14) 3103 6177 - Bauru - SP - Brazil
E-mail: revista@fc.unesp.br