Animal welfare rests on moral values about the nature of animals and our obligations to them, with different ethical frameworks offering complementary justifications for protecting animal interests.
The values that ground animal welfare matter because they determine the scope and depth of our obligations. Narrow views that treat animals purely as property permit harms that compassionate moral concern rejects. Expanding moral circles — recognizing sentience as the criterion for welfare concern — provides the philosophical foundation for the comprehensive welfare protections that billions of animals deserve.