Do animals have rights? And if so, where do they come from? Our Declaration of Independence states that it is self-evidently true that all men are created equal, and endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, among which are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Human rights, therefore, are believed to come directly from our “Creator.” But from what source, if any, would animal rights come from? And what would those rights entail? Would they include “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”? If so, then could animals be said to have any kind of instrumental value at all? If this were the case, would we then have to co-exist with the animal kingdom in a peaceful, non-exploitative way, and live as vegans? I’d love to hear the class’ thoughts on this.