Abolitionism (animal rights)

Abolitionism (from English abolition "abolition", "abolition") refers to a direction within the animal rights movement , whose representatives reject any use of sentient beings by humans . Abolitionism is based on the assumption that all sentient beings share the basic right not to be treated as someone else's property.

Abolitionism originally referred to a movement to abolish slavery . The term has been expanded to include animal rights and in this context refers not only to the abolition of ownership by humans, but also " non-human animals ".

Theories

Well-known representatives of abolitionism are the philosophers Tom Regan and Gary L. Francione .

Regan first formulated a theory of abolitionism in 1983. In his book The Case for Animal Rights , Regan argues that living things have value regardless of their ability to suffer . He explicitly recognizes that there is a need to abolish the use of animals, as opposed to adapting the conditions.

Francione ties in with Regan's point of view, but in places takes a different position. While Regan argues that a human's interest may exceed that of an animal because of the greater potential for future satisfaction, Francione argues that no interest of one sentient being should exceed that of another.

Basic principles according to Francione

According to Francione, abolitionism follows six principles :

1. Abolitionism rejects the exploitation of sentient beings and advocates that all sentient beings have the elementary right not to be treated as the property of others
2. Abolitionism rejects reformist approaches and does not support campaigns that only aim at improving animal husbandry
3. Abolitionism sees veganism as a moral imperative
4. The only characteristic required for full membership in the moral community is sentience
5. Abolitionism rejects all forms of discrimination from
6. Abolitionism promotes non-violence

Demarcation from reformism

Reformism is a direction within the animal rights movement that pursues animal welfare in order to enable animals in captivity to lead a more appropriate life .

Abolitionists see a wrong approach in these efforts: they legitimize speciesism and suggest that treating animals as property is acceptable; thus the social acceptance of the use of animals will be strengthened and an extension of the use of animals will be favored. In this sense, vegetarianism is also rejected.

From a reformist point of view, abolitionism is accused of having an immediate abolition of animal husbandry unrealistic. At the same time, there are also gradual approaches in abolitionism aimed at the gradual abolition of different types of posture, e.g. B. the abolition of animal training in circuses or the termination of seal hunts .

literature

• Tom Regan : The Case for Animal Rights . University of California Press, 1983, ISBN 978-0-520-24386-6 , pp. 474 (2004 paperback edition) .
• Gary L. Francione : Animals as Persons: Essays on the Abolition of Animal Exploitation . Columbia University Press , 2009, ISBN 978-0-231-13951-9 , pp. 256 .

See also

• Antispeciesism

Web links

• Animal Rights: The Abolitionist Approach. Retrieved December 3, 2015 . 

Individual evidence

1. ^ The Six Principles of the Abolitionist Approach to Animal Rights. Retrieved October 4, 2015 .  
2. ^ Tom Regan: The Animal Rights Position. Retrieved October 4, 2015 .