Paul M. Pulé The Institute for Sustainability and Technology Policy Murdoch University Perth, Western Australia 2008 Animals and Us / Animals are Us

‘Man’ and God The 16th Century (The Renaissance): God created man in his own image Animals and nature created solely as men’s physical resources. [26] And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. [27] So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. [28] And God blessed them, and God said unto them, be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. [29] And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. King James Version Genesis 1:26-29 (King James Version - 16th Century)

Science = Knowledge + Dominion Sir Francis Bacon ( ) Carolyn Merchant on Francis Bacon in The Death of Nature (1981)

The 17th Century (The Age of Reason): René Descartes ( ) René Descartes argues that humankind is distinct from animal kind … Cogito ergo sum (I think, therefore I am) Man is created in the image of God Human intellect supersedes matter - human culture is separated from animal nature Emphasis on the dualistic nature of reality - us and them. James Balog (1993)

On Equal Consideration of Interests … A Utilitarian Approach Jeremy Bentham ( ) “The day may come when the rest of the animal creation may acquire those rights which never could have been with-holden from them but by the hand of tyranny. The French have already discovered that the blackness of the skin is no reason why a human being should be abandoned without redress to the caprice of the tormentor … What else is it that should trace the insuperable line? Is it the faculty of reason, or perhaps the faculty of discourse? … The question is not, Can they[non-human animals that is] reason, nor Can the talk? But, Can they suffer?” Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation Jeremy Bentham in Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation (1781)

Utilitarianism - a School of Thought within Ethics The moral worth of an action determined by … its contribution to something’s overall usefulness to humanity. … its outcome - the ends justify the means. … the degree to which it brings about happiness and pleasure over sadness and pain.

Humans separate from Animals Typically, our species denies that we are descended from apes. There is a need to redefine the way we view our relationship with wider nature … Beginning with acknowledging our animality.

Reuniting Humanity and Nature … … To do so, we need to liberate speciesism.. non-human animals from speciesism.. Speciesism: the systematic mistreatment of other-than-human Others because they are not human … resulting in prejudiced, immoral and indefensible discrimination against them as well as ignorance of their pleasure and pain.

On Meat Peter Singer’s seminal text Animal Liberation Animal Liberation (1975) Meat eating as a form of oppression …

Consequences of Flesh Protein Balance: 10kgs of feed protein required to produce 1/2kg of beef … we get back less than 5% of what we put in. Or … on 1/2 a ha of land we can grow up to 250kgs of high protein plant food that can be directly consumed or grow a feed crop to produce about 20kgs of cattle flesh. Every 1kg of feedlot cow flesh requires: 10kgs of grain 10,000lts of water 4lts of petrol … and erodes 70kgs of topsoil Grazing consumes more than 1/3rd of all arable land. Dizzying Statistics on producing beef:

An Alternative Vegetarianism brings with it a new relationship to food, plants and nature. Flesh taints our meals. Disguise it as we may, the fact remains that the centerpiece of our dinner has come to us from the slaughterhouse, dripping in blood …When we eat it, it sits heavily in our stomachs, blocking our digestive processes until, days later, we struggle to excrete it [meat:76-83hrs v’s plant matter: 42hours] … becoming a vegetarian … brought me into closer contact with plants, soil, and the seasons.” Animal Liberation Peter Singer in Animal Liberation (1975)

Video Interlude …