This Moose Belongs to Me

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Imagine that Wilfred bought his moose in a shop. Write a story about the unusual shop that sells unusual animals. Wilfred believed that Marcel was his moose, and although his unusual pet didn't always follow the (many) rules he laid down, the boy never questioned his ownership of his animal companion. Then one day Wilfred discovered that his Marcel was also an old woman's Rodrigo, and that perhaps - just perhaps - he never owned Marcel to begin with... Questions for Philosophical Discussion » Summary This Moose Belongs to Me explores questions of ownership, especially of animal ownership, and the responsibilities that come with ownership. Wilfred has a pet that most people don’t – a moose. He hasn’t always had a pet moose though. One day the moose came to him and he knew that it was meant to be his, so he decided to keep and and call him Marcel. Marcel is usually a very good pet, but one day Marcel leads Wilfred on a journey into the woods where someone else lays claim to the moose.

If I had a pet my rule would be not to jump up and down on the sofa, or on bed when I'm sleeping,' she said. How does Wilfred treat the moose? Is this okay? Would it be different if he brought the moose into his home? Marcel is a pretty obedient pet except on the odd occasion he decides to not listen to Wilfred..I mean, really, Marcel is just acting like any pet would. Pets are allowed to have a mind of their own, including Mooses, you know! Until one day in the forest they go for a walk and stumble on someone else who claims they owned Marcel..Except his name wasn't Marcel...It was....*Pauses*...You'll need to find out what happens and what is the Moose's actual name.It turns out the moose isn't Wilfred's pet after all and has at least two other claimants, including a woman who calls him Rodrigo and a man who calls him Dominic. But his true loyalty seems to be to whomever gives him apples. Isobel wasn't so sure about Marcel's motivation. 'He's just after another apple,' she said. 'So whose animal is he then?' I ask. 'Nobody's,' Isobel said. 'He's just himself. He doesn't belong to anybody.' Watch this advert for the book. Can you create your own persuasive advert to encourage other people to buy it? So does Wilfred treat the moose with the respect he deserves? Wilfred just follows the moose around all the time, letting the moose do whatever he wants in his natural habitat. He doesn’t seem to restrict its will in anyway. In fact, it isn’t even clear if the moose is under Wilfred’s control at all. In this case, Wilfred’s actions may actually respect the moral demands of “owning” the moose, but this is certainly up for discussion. For we might wonder: can anyone actually own a moose (or another wild animal)?

Owning something implies having certain rights and responsibilities. When we claim to own something, this implies that we have the right to use it as we see fit, as well as the right to transfer our property to someone else. But owning something also means that we can be responsible for what that thing does or causes. In our story, the thing being ‘owned’ is a living creature. This leads to an important distinction between traditional ownership and animal ownership. It seems odd to say we can do whatever we want with a living creature. It seems problematic to use an animal solely for the purpose of achieving our own ends. Why is this the case? What is it about animals that make them any different from objects with regards to treatment and ownership? It appears that an animal has its own intentions and demands a respect that an object does not. Owning an animal also seems to entail having more responsibilities than owning an object. Wilfred owned a moose. He hadn't always owned a moose. The moose came to him a while ago and he knew, just KNEW, that it was meant to be his. Is there anything you can’t own? Are there some animals you can’t own? Do your parents own you? Can you own nature?This book brings up the philosophical issue of ownership. Our society is one in which ownership plays a big role. The students probably can think of some things that they own themselves, and they might be proud to have something they can call their very own. This can prompt a discussion on what makes an object their own. First, this involves asking how it came to be theirs in the first place. Perhaps they found it, or perhaps someone gave it to them. In the story, we can ask, “Why does Wilfred think he owns the moose at first?” (Wilfred states that the moose just “came to him one day”. This leads us to the conclusion that his ownership stems from the fact that he found the moose himself.) Original questions and guidelines for philosophical discussion archived here. Edited June 2020 by The Janet Prindle Institute for Ethics. Most of the time Marcel is very obedient, abiding by the many rules on How to Be a Good Pet. But one dark day, while deep in the woods, someone else claims the moose as their own… Teaching Ideas and Resources: English