Philosophy and Animal Ethics in Ancient Greece

Ancient Cultures and Animals (GE 313)

• Indigenous groups have a different view of their relationship with animals compared to modern societies.
• Modern societies generally view non-human animals as automata without self-awareness.
• There are exceptions for pets and animals in zoos, but agricultural, fishing, and pharmaceutical industries often disregard animals as sentient creatures.
• Even pets and zoo animals are considered property without independent legal status.
• In hunter-gatherer societies, non-human animals are seen as equal to humans.
• As human control of the environment increased through agriculture, a distinction between humans and nature emerged.
• Wild animals became viewed as predators, quarry, or competitors for resources, vermin, or spectacles.
• Indigenous cultures respect and revere animals, often seeing them as powerful, special creatures with unique meanings and symbols.
• In indigenous views, animals are like friends and family, and an important food source.
• Indigenous hunter-gatherer societies treat animals as fully sentient beings with equal status to humans, even when they're hunted.
• Their spiritual beliefs and myths often involve a connection between humans and non-humans, even evolution.
• Respecting animals to allow them to freely give themselves to the hunter is a concept shared among indigenous groups.
• The natural world is viewed as interconnected, requiring responsibility to care for and live in harmony with it.
• "Animal people" are spirits who enter the human world
• Traditional aboriginal concepts of respect and sharing are found in the seven natural laws.
• Each law is represented by an animal, emphasizing the link between man and the animal world.
• Indigenous peoples were careful and respectful of the animals' life cycles.
• They only harvested what they needed to sustain themselves, their celebrations and rituals of appreciation involving every part of the animal.
• There was no need for artificial wildlife management.
• The Yup'ik Eskimo of Alaska view animals as non-human persons, with a reciprocal relationship centered on respect.
• Similarities between humans and animals, such as immortal souls, self-awareness, and control over destinies, are emphasized.
• The Gwich'in people of Northern Canada and Alaska have a high reverence for animals, considering them as persons who can switch places with humans.
• The Gwich'in legends have Caribou taking human form, and rules for treating killed or wounded animals.
• The Rock Cree believe animals judge human conduct, consider animals to have souls, and experience rebirth.
• Animals like indigenous peoples have been targets for colonial violence, involving both physical harm and the denigration of relationships.
• "Animal colonialism" is a useful analytic for understanding the interconnected genocides of indigenous people and animals.
• The systematic slaughter of buffalo was a devastating example of animal colonialism in North America.
• Buffalo were a vital resource for Indigenous peoples in many ways, and were considered more-than-human beings before colonization.
• Decimation of the buffalo had disastrous effects on indigenous peoples.
• Colonial practices utilized animals to aid colonization, introducing both diseases and interference with traditional subsistence practices.

Colonial Practices

• Animals were targeted for colonial violence, including physical harm and killing.
• Indigenous-animal relationalities were removed from descriptions and narrative.
• The introduction of domesticated animals had profound consequences for Indigenous ecologies and political economies.
• Domesticated animals aided in the "taming of land" and establishing colonies.
• These animals introduced diseases like anthrax, tick fever, brucellosis, and bovine tuberculosis.
• These animals interfered with traditional subsistence practices.

Indigenous Perspectives 1

• Indigenous hunter-gatherer societies treat animals as fully sentient beings with equal status to humans, deserving respect even when hunted.
• Spiritual beliefs and myths often involve the evolution of humans from non-human forms, paralleling the theory of evolution.
• The need to respect animals so they will give themselves to the hunter is a widespread concept among indigenous groups.

Indigenous Perspectives 2

• The natural world is interconnected (not separate from other aspects of the whole), requiring moral responsibility for the natural world.
• "Animal People" have spirits and enter the human world, giving their bodies in exchange for goods.
• The flesh of animals becomes part of the human world, then is returned to the animal world at the animals will.

Indigenous Perspectives 3

• Traditional Aboriginal way of life is built around the seven natural laws.
• Each law embodies a specific virtue and is associated with an animal.
• The animal world taught people how to live close to the earth.
• Respect for all life instilled by the connection between the animal and human world.

Indigenous Perspectives 4

• Indigenous peoples were careful and respectful of the natural cycles of animals.
• They only harvested what was necessary for their families and communities.
• There were cultural celebrations and rituals associated with harvesting animals.
• There was no over-harvesting or depletion of species resulting from the way indigenous people treated the environment.
• Artificial wildlife management is generally an alien concept to many indigenous cultures.

The Discussion of Animal Ethics

• The philosophical concern for animal ethics is a relatively recent phenomenon in the West.
• Early Greek philosophers did, in fact, concern themselves with the welfare of nonhuman animals, however.
• Animal ethics is a topic covered in ancient Greek philosophy.
• There are connections between the views of early philosophers on animal ethics and the views of modern proponents of animal ethics.
• Vegetarianism and animal rights were related to philosophical and religious beliefs in ancient Greece.
• The notion of the “Golden Age” depicted in Hesiod played a significant role in the development of early vegetarianism.
• The concept of reincarnation was influential in shaping ethical arguments about nonhuman animals.
• Pythagoras is often considered a key figure in the first arguments for vegetarianism.
• Pythagoras's focus on sentience and his ideas on the interconnectedness of humans and other animals foreshadowed modern theories.
• Plato discussed the role of the “soul” and debated aspects of dominion but didn't address animal ethics in the way modern scholars expect.
• Aristotle's views on animal ethics were anthropocentric (human centered).
• Aristotle believed that humans are superior to animals because humans have a rational soul, and animals do not.
• Aristotle's thoughts were influential on subsequent thinkers and theories, including Stoicism.
• Plutarch's views were a response to criticisms of the Pythagorean approach.
• Plutarch thought that animals possess virtues, such as courage, temperance, and moderation, and deserved a level of ethical consideration.
• Porphyry also engaged in a debate with Stoics regarding the moral status of animals in relation to rationality and reasoned behaviour.
• Porphyry argued that animals are not simply devoid of reason.
• Porphyry's views challenged anthropocentrism.
• Porphyry thought that the capacity for sentience was important, similar to arguments later articulated by Peter Singer.
• Medieval theologians like Augustine and Aquinas integrated Christian doctrine with Aristotelian philosophy on animal ethics.
• Medieval perspectives often tied the moral status of animals to their perceived role in God's plan.
• There was no major philosophical work advocating for animal rights in the medieval period.
• Modern thinkers, such as Peter Singer, sought to bridge the gap between ancient and contemporary ideas about animals and ethics.
• Singer's framework of the "moral circle" and the moral standing of animals is an influential part of contemporary animal ethics.