Introduction
For centuries human have thrived and evolved alongside other species. We have co-existed with them since even before the first civilization of mankind. Thus, what does it mean to be a human? And does being a ‘human' give us the right to stand above all other life forms and other species?
This essay’s focus is on the historical field about human-animal relation in the Medieval Europe, with the focus on animal’s prosecution or commonly known as animal trial. The essay explores some part of a contemporary, with the focus on the middle age’s concept of animal’s right.
Human-Animal Relation in Medieval
In the medieval era, an artist, according to Harper (2014), the word ‘artist’ which derived from Middle French ‘artiste’,
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When discussing about fear that the people have toward animals, Huet (2004) confirmed that the people of the medieval, practically the Christians who were in conflict with the old/original Pagans, believes that many non-human creatures are prone to be a vessel/servants for the devils.
To understand the source of the fear that the people in medieval period have, we can turn to look at the teaching that were installed into them from the young age, from the growing teaching of the churches. The common conception of God (Johns 2013) was one of a vengeful, all-powerful, all-knowing being, an image that fostered an extensive sense of fear and ill-omened. If one were to displease the God by associating with a devil, he will sent rainstorms, thunder, lightning, or earthquakes..
Thus, in order to be fair and be in the good grace of God, the people of the medieval did what they could to be just and merciful. They trial criminals so that no innocently accused victims would be kill for wrong reason. This, unknown to most, also apply to animals as well, be it wild animals or domesticated ones like pigs and dogs. This action was known as animal prosecution or animal trial. As an example, a trial of animal in 1474 that was bought to court was based on the believe of religion
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We have developed a concept of ‘animal’s right’, yet, the rights were often not given fairly to the animals. Looking back to the past, the people of the middle age who have practiced the law of animal’s right could help provide us with some awareness of how animal trial should have been. Given that in today’s cases there are dogs/cats that have injured or killed (rarely for cats) a human and were put to death without a trial, or simply because they have become unwanted. An example of how ‘animals’ right’ were taken away without a fair trial is presented by Schweitzer (2014), in the statistic presenting the number of animals killed in New South Wales, Australia, without a trial, in
What it means to be human? To me what it means to be human was walking, talking, breathing air, being the superior mammal. Now that has changed into a much deeper thinking of what makes us human. Our bodies have
Throughout history, humans have utilized nonhuman animals for the benefit of mankind. This tendency increased as civilization developed, and presently, necessitated by staggering population growth and technological progress, human use of animals has skyrocketed. We eat them, we breed them, we use them as test subjects. Some people have begun to question the ethics of it all, sparking a debate on animal treatment and whether or not they have rights. In a paper on the subject, Carl Cohen lays out his definition of rights, explains their relationship with obligations, and uses these ideas to present the argument that manifests clearly in his piece’s title, “Why Animals Have No Rights”. THESIS
“Nearly as many, 68 percent, were concerned or very concerned about the well-being of animals used in ‘sports’ or contests as well as animals in laboratories (67 percent) (Kretzer, 1).” Many people question whether an animal is capable of thought and emotions. Others feel as though animals are the equivalent of humans and should be treated as such. Since the 1800’s, animal rights has been a topic that has several different sides including two extremes. If animals can react to their environment, emote, and are aware of things done to or with them, then they should have similar rights to humans.
To get a sense of what it is to be human, at least in the evolutionary world, we need only to compare our modern selves to our ancestors such as the Neanderthals. The Neanderthals were our closest hominin relative and died out thousands of years ago. Like us, they walked on two legs, hunted , made fire and tools, and lived in shelters (caves). They were more advanced than many of us imagine they were thanks to the way they are portrayed in the media. They had brains similar in size to ours, they stood fully upright (not hunched over), and had a surprisingly complex culture. When asked what it means to be human, you can compare many different aspects of our lives, such as biology, culture, and even religious beliefs. We obviously have
To be human is to be able think and learn without any restraints. To have an opinion all to one's self even if it my clash with someone else's. To be human is to have emotion. One must be able to smile, cry, laugh or shout without living in fear of the consequence. One must
Korsgaard begins with explaining the tradition of Roman law, in which all the entities in the world may be categorized into ‘persons’ and ‘things’. However, since animals are being categorized as ‘things’, it is difficult to offer them legal protection despite they share some properties with human beings. Therefore, some animal rights advocates suggest animals should be re-categorized as persons.
In the Middle Ages from the 12th to 14th centuries, animal books, or bestiaries, depicted and explained the roles of animals in natures. However, these books had greater significance than merely providing necessary knowledge for the survival of these wild peoples – as the medieval period in Europe was primarily and intensely Christian, the bestiaries carried a distinctly religious connotation as well. The Physiologus, “the most widely-distributed book in Europe after the Bible,” not only describes mythical and real animals, but also explains why they exist. For example, just as Christ “revived” humanity with his blood after three days in his grave, the beautiful pelican can revive her perished young after three days with her own blood. God, as creator, purposefully designed his creatures to reflect his teachings and thus, nature and the bestiary tradition is God’s
There were many different laws and legal matters that took place during the Medieval Times. The word medieval Is normally compared to rottenness, rebellion and mercilessness. During this time crime and punishment was taken and executed seriously. In the 1100s, and throughout the 1200’s many of the laws that were set in place were changed by Henry II. Before executing the laws, he sent out his own people to ensure that each person case had been heard, along with having his own way of deciding if a person is guilty or not. According to Medieval life crime and punishment, there were three ordeals that determined if a person was guilty or not. The first was ordeal by fire, where the accused person had to hold a fire-hot iron bar and walk three steps. The hand is then bandaged and if got better after three days, then that person was innocent. If it did not that person was guilty. Then there was the ordeal by water. The ordeal by water was another system that was used to determine if a person was guilty or not. If this system was used then they would throw the body in water and if they float they were guilty, and lastly there was the ordeal by combat system, whereas, the accused would fight the accuser and who ever won was right, and the person who lost would be usually dead during the end. It was not until the 1200’s when there was a decision to have trials where juries attended. Most people agreed with the idea of having a jury and others did not because they felt as if their
Being human means being mortal and having to face the day-to-day life of society. Kathy explained, “it’s like walking past a mirror you’ve walked past every day of your life, and suddenly it shows you
Humans are members of the Earth's community of life in the same sense and on the same terms as other living things.
Seems rhetorical, but the fact is animals live through this everyday, without even given the choice. As humans, we establish our authority among all living beings, but for what reasons? Are humans better than all other species? Or is it true that we should hold a precedence over nonhuman animals? The ultimate question then remains, should animals have as much or equal to the same rights as humans? Their are endless arguments for and against this question, and many sub arguments that go hand in hand with each side. In this paper, I will discuss the definition of what animal rights entails and expand on the history that developed it’s meaning. Furthermore, I will thoroughly discuss, reason, and explain each opinion presented by our current society as well as the positions held by previous philosophers. Lastly, I will draw a conclusion to the opinions presented by discussing my personal position on the argument of animal rights.
Animals are an important and valued part of many families and cultures. In many households, animals are considered members of the family, receive Christmas and birthday presents, and are cared for just as a human child would be. Opposition to animal cruelty has even become a sort of universal value in American culture(Kordzek 604). But animals are uniquely vulnerable to abuse, and despite this they still do not receive much needed protection from the law. The penalties for animal cruelty are not frequently severe enough to even deter one from harming an animal. This is dangerous not only for animals, but for human beings too. Animal cruelty and domestic violence have been proven to correlate in countless ways, and recognizing animal cruelty as a serious criminal offense and a form of domestic violence would serve to protect both animals and human beings from needless acts of violence. Instituting stiffer criminal penalties for animal cruelty and increasing the protective measures for victims of abuse is necessary to further the protection of both animals and human beings.
Is it ethical for animals to have the same rights as humans? During this paper I will present the views of both sides. I will try my best to give the reader a chance to come to there own unbiased conclusion. I will talk about the key areas of animal ethics. I will present the facts and reasoning behind the arguments over Animal cruelty, testing, hunting, and improper housing. My conclusion will hopefully bring us closer to answering many of the question surrounding “Animal Rights and Ethics”.
Animal rights are an important topic to discuss and review. The trouble is the vast diversity of how people see humans and animals and how they are different and yet the same. Animals are in every aspect of our lives in how they are utilized to make our lives easier, to sustain us, or as a pet. Unfortunately, the line of animals and humans blurs as the widely known belief that we are a derivation of an animal and we should treat them as we would ourselves. This viewpoint, however, can be taken to an extreme as we see pets that can be pampered quite a bit. Relating back to the four authors in our text, there is considerable controversy on how animals should be treated. While some interesting positions arise with the various authors, to
The age old question of what it means to be human can be answered through many viewpoints. There are several specie specific qualities that differentiate humans from any other creature, but with that being said, humans are often compared and contrasted with animals and machines. Some of these specific qualities are the ability to interpret, free will, and the use of language, but what does it really mean to be human?