Animality

Aristotle on Animality

Until relatively recently, the meaning of the term animality within the history of Western political thought was constant. For centuries, Western philosophical conceptions of animality were dominated by the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle's idea that humans are unique among the animals because of their ability to govern themselves, both as rational individuals and as political groups or nations. Whereas other animals are governed by natural instincts, humans are self-governing, he maintained. Aristotle (384–322 BCE) called humans zoon politikon, which means political animals. He argued that humans, as the only animals capable of politics and self-government, have the right of dominion over all other lower animals. He wrote that nature makes all animals for the use of man. Aristotle said that humans and other animals were distinct in that only humans have speech (even if animals have voices), rationality, and ethics. Therefore, he concluded, “man is the most excellent of all living beings.”

Aquinas on Animality

Aristotle's theories of animality were given an even more radical form in the writings of medieval philosopher and theologian Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274 CE). Aquinas argued that man is rational and animals are not; man has absolute dominion over animals, which were given to him by God, and therefore, man may kill or dispose of animals as he pleases. In other words, man has no direct ethical or moral obligations to animals whatsoever. Aquinas believed that there is no duty to animals and that God put animals on Earth for men to use.

Modern Philosophy

Modern philosophers René Descartes (1596–1650) and Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) continued to drive a wedge between animality and humanity. Descartes argued that animals are like machines that merely react to stimuli but do not have any true responses. He maintained that because animals are incapable of language and of knowledge, they are inferior to man. He said that animals do not have immortal souls; only humans do.

Kant also proposed that animals are inferior to man because they are incapable of reason. He concluded that we have no direct ethical duties to animals, although we may have indirect ethical duties [Page 51]to them if by harming them we harm their owners. Kant also argued that people who harm animals may become callous and thereby become accustomed to harming living beings, including other people. In this regard, harming animals may indirectly lead to harming people, in which case it is ethically wrong. Kant argued that if we have a duty to animals, it is only because our behavior toward animals affects our actions toward other humans. We learn to be good to each other by being good to animals, and cruelty to animals can lead to cruelty to humans. But, Kant also says that if a man shoots another man's dog, it is a moral wrong done not to the dog but to the owner of the dog.

...