Utilitarian ethics provides the most influential philosophical framework for animal welfare. Understanding Singer's arguments helps advocates engage with the philosophical foundations of welfare concern.
Utilitarian ethics provides perhaps the most accessible philosophical argument for animal welfare consideration. The argument is simple: if pain is bad, then animal pain is bad regardless of the species experiencing it. Discriminating against animals solely because they are not human - speciesism - is analogous to discriminating against humans solely because of their race or sex. Singer's framework does not require that animals have complex cognitive lives or rights - only that they can suffer. This minimal requirement is met by the vast majority of animals humans interact with, placing the burden of justification on those who would cause animal suffering rather than on those who would prevent it.