動物倫理是當代應用倫理一大擴展，其發展過程無論是在理論基礎或社會實踐上都面臨重大考驗。首先，過去許多哲學家主張理性是成為道德對象的必要條件，因此從理論上排除動物具道德地位的可能性，然而，承認動物具感知能力的主張成功跨越此障礙，就此打通動物倫理研究的道路；其次，當代動物倫理雖然進展神速，但由於廢除主義的激進論調與現行社會制度及日常生活慣習差距過大，使人心生疑慮因而阻礙了動物倫理的推展。因此本文最後引入一種務實的動物倫理立場，一方面承認動物的道德地位，另一方面也避免設立過高的道德理想，廣泛培養人們對動物的同情心，擴大關心動物苦難的群眾，同時尊重人們的生活選擇，兼顧動物保護在理論與實踐上的接受度與可行性，避免動物倫理研究走入門檻過高或不切實際的死胡同。

There is a major extension in animal ethics of contemporary applied ethics, and its development process faces major challenges in both theoretical basis and social practices. First, many philosophers in the past argued that reason was a necessary condition for becoming a moral object, so theoretically excluded the possibility of animals owning a moral status. However, the claim that animals have sentient abilities successfully crossed this barrier and opened the gate for animal ethics research. Second, although contemporary animal ethics is progressing rapidly, the radical arguments of abolitionism make people keeping it skeptically, and on the contrary hinder the promotion of animal ethics. Therefore, at the end of this article, a pragmatic animal ethics approach is introduced. On the one hand, it recognizes the moral status of animals, and on the other hand, it avoids setting up unattainable moral ideals. Broadly cultivate people's compassion for animals and expand the care about the suffering animals. Meanwhile, respect people's life choices, considering the acceptance and feasibility of animal protection in theories and practices, to avoid animal ethics research entering into a dead end that is either too strictly or unrealistic.