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2.5.3: The Historical Non-Human Animal and Dominion

  • Page ID
    90150
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    The Judeo-Christian religions, including Islam, offer us ambivalent positions towards animals. Certain passages suggest that humans have dominion over all creatures on the planet. Other passages suggest that we serve as stewards of the creatures on earth. The Buddhist and Indian traditions have a more liberal view on animals. Some practitioners of these eastern religions hold more straightforward welfare positions. For example, some Buddhist and Hindus abide by ahimsa, which translates from the Sanskrit as a principle of nonviolence. Ahimsa is extended to non-human animals as well. Although traditional religious views on animals play an important role in our modern disposition towards animals, a full discussion on religion and animal rights is beyond the scope of this project. Nevertheless, it will be acknowledged that the great traditions of the past leave the door open for animal advocacy, but for our purposes we will say that they hold a welfarist position. The welfarist view simply states we should consider animal welfare, but not to the detriment of human interests.

    One significant element that develops from the discussion of animal ethics within the context of religion that is of philosophical interest is the notion of dominion. If god gave humans dominion over all the creatures on the planet and the planet itself, what does dominion exactly mean? We further ask, how can we best understand the notion of dominion that developed from religious texts, and situate it in our contemporary milieu? Can we simply assume that dominion categorically refers to human absolute power over all non-human species (to mistreat)? Why should we assume that dominion as the power to rule over others necessarily means domination and exploitation of the non-human? Can dominion, perhaps, reflect a more nuanced state of human agency and responsibility, at least in a modern context?

    We can conjecture that dominion as the power to rule over others as a human endowment serves to ascribe moral consideration primarily or solely to humans. It also helps justify the severed relationship between humans and nature, including non-human animals. Our assumed dominion and ownership over all of nature directs us to delimit moral considerations. It helps formulate a fundamental disposition of the endowed species: humans matter because they have agency and interests as unique life forms, and thus possess dominion and rights over others. However, some contemporary research on ethics and dominion aims to reinterpret the human relationship with animals and nature and promotes the extension of moral consideration.


    2.5.3: The Historical Non-Human Animal and Dominion is shared under a not declared license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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