What subject/field am I looking for?

[Newai]

I need to study the ethics of people using things for their own purposes, such as cattle for food or animals for research. I need to understand the arguments supporting and opposing these parts of our lives, that it is or is not right to take and use living organisms for various purposes. Is this covered in a philosophy discussion or some other forum? Is there a term for this argument?

 

[CharlesB]

Peter Singer is an Australian philosopher/ethicist that has written a lot about this topic. Try looking up some of his articles, or get a hold of one of his books.