Beneficence, Non-Identity, and Responsibility: How Identity-Affecting Interventions in Nature can Generate Secondary Moral Duties

Abstract In chapter 3 of Wild Animal Ethics Johannsen argues for a collective obligation based on beneficence to intervene in nature order reduce the suffering wild animals. same he claims that non-identity problem is merely “theoretical puzzle” (p.32) which doesn’t affect our reasons intervention. this paper I argue affects both strength and intervene. By intervening large scale we change animals come into existence. doing so, enable harmful inflict harms other animals, put harm’s way. The these will endure are foreseeable. Furthermore, since non-human aren’t moral agents, cannot be morally responsible their actions. therefore by causing exist, knowing they suffer harms, become those harms. engaging identity-affecting actions then take secondary duties towards have thereby caused may extremely demanding, even more so than initial costs Finally, justice rather beneficence, as such stringent purely beneficence-based reasons. conclusion flows naturally from several plausible principles explicitly endorses.