Ethical questions about bullfighting
THE QUESTION OF BULLFIGHTING
Ethical Theory and Moral Practice
Bullfighting has always been a controversial issue for Spanish society, especially in recent decades. The problem to deal with is based simply on a question: is bullfighting ethical? Is the treatment given to the animal for a show whose purpose is to entertain the man ethical?
Before going into the ethical debate, it is necessary to consider some data reflecting the relevance of this activity: a) it is a practice that has been ongoing since the twelfth century1, b) according to the Ministry of Culture of Spain, in 2012 there were 9,562 bullfighting professionals and nearly 2,000 corridas (bullfights). It is estimated that the business moved more than 1,300 million euros in 2012 (10 % of the entertainment industry)2, and c) 30% of the Spanish population states interest in bullfighting3.
At this point, one must ask first if the animal can be an ethical subject. According to the classic definition, ethics is intended to judge acts performed by human beings consciously and freely. Ethics does not limit only to see how they perform these acts, but seeks to express a judgment on these, which determines whether an act has been ethically good or ethically wrong. Therefore, never be the animal, but man, the ethical subject, since it has the right and freedom to choose. We can only consider the animal within the ethics as long as it is related to the action of man, bearing in mind that what we value is the attitude of the man and the animal is a passive element in the reflection. This also means that we are the people who
1
FERNÁNDEZ TRUHÁN, Juan Carlos. Orígenes de la Tauromaquia. Universidad Pablo de Olavide. Available on: http://www.cafyd.com/HistDeporte/htm/pdf/6-0.pdf 2
2008-2012 Estadística de asuntos taurinos. Síntesis de resultados. [Madrid] Subdirección General de Estadística y Estudios, Secretaría
General Técnica. Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte. 2013
Ethical Theory and Moral Practice
Bullfighting has always been a controversial issue for Spanish society, especially in recent decades. The problem to deal with is based simply on a question: is bullfighting ethical? Is the treatment given to the animal for a show whose purpose is to entertain the man ethical?
Before going into the ethical debate, it is necessary to consider some data reflecting the relevance of this activity: a) it is a practice that has been ongoing since the twelfth century1, b) according to the Ministry of Culture of Spain, in 2012 there were 9,562 bullfighting professionals and nearly 2,000 corridas (bullfights). It is estimated that the business moved more than 1,300 million euros in 2012 (10 % of the entertainment industry)2, and c) 30% of the Spanish population states interest in bullfighting3.
At this point, one must ask first if the animal can be an ethical subject. According to the classic definition, ethics is intended to judge acts performed by human beings consciously and freely. Ethics does not limit only to see how they perform these acts, but seeks to express a judgment on these, which determines whether an act has been ethically good or ethically wrong. Therefore, never be the animal, but man, the ethical subject, since it has the right and freedom to choose. We can only consider the animal within the ethics as long as it is related to the action of man, bearing in mind that what we value is the attitude of the man and the animal is a passive element in the reflection. This also means that we are the people who
1
FERNÁNDEZ TRUHÁN, Juan Carlos. Orígenes de la Tauromaquia. Universidad Pablo de Olavide. Available on: http://www.cafyd.com/HistDeporte/htm/pdf/6-0.pdf 2
2008-2012 Estadística de asuntos taurinos. Síntesis de resultados. [Madrid] Subdirección General de Estadística y Estudios, Secretaría
General Técnica. Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte. 2013