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| info@defendanimals.org |
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| about animal rights
In the 17th century, French philosopher and vivisector René Descartes advanced the idea that nonhuman animals are without consciousness and feeling. He claimed that though animals cry out when cut, squirm when burnt by vivisectors such as himself, it does not mean that animals can feel pain or suffering. An observer to the work of Cartesian scientists wrote: “[They] administered beatings to dogs with perfect indifference and made fun of those who pitied the creatures as if they felt pain. They said the animals were clocks; that the cries they emitted when struck were only the noise of a little spring that had been touched, but that the whole body was without feeling. They nailed the poor animals up on boards by their four paws to vivisect them to see the circulation of the blood, which was a great subject of controversy.”Though few people today would declare themselves in agreement with Descartes, in our society’s treatment of most other animals, we still behave like true Cartesians – we as a society are moral schizophrenics who on one hand recognize other animals as living, feeling individuals, and on the other systematically abuse, exploit, slaughter, and dispose of them like objects, commodities, and expendable tools. Each year in the United States alone, more than 25 billion animals are slaughtered for their flesh, an estimated 134 million animals for blood sports, 20-70 million in the name of science, 8-10 million for their furs, and many more suffer from unspeakable cruelty and death. Animal rights is the simple idea that animals deserve to be treated as the living, feeling individuals they are – humans are not the only ones who deserve to live free from torture, slaughter, abuse, and exploitation. Every second, thousands of lives hang in the balance, but with every action we take – however big or small – we can make a world of difference to those who have no other hope. |