Introduction - Killing Happy Animals: Explorations in Utilitarian Ethics - page 17

claims that keeping animals for consumption and granting them pleasant
lives benefits these animals because if they were not kept for consump-
tion they would not exist at all. I point out that Total Utilitarianism
might accept this argument while Prior Existence Utilitarianism does
not. Total Utilitarianism at first glance seems to be compatible with the
goal of animal-friendly animal husbandry und thus be able to justify it.
However, this is not necessarily the case. Prior Existence Utilitarianism,
in contrast, is more in line with the goal of vegan agriculture.
In Chapter 10 I draw conclusions concerning the implications and
assumptions of both versions of utilitarianism, and make some notes
about further research questions. While Total Utilitarianism can provide
a justification for animal-friendly animal husbandry, the reader will now
be in a position to judge the attractiveness of this justification.