Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
where humans relied solely on fruit, as eating both meat and
vegetables involved death. Medieval Christianity around
AD 1000 formed a movement called the Peace and Truth of
God, which sought to protect livestock (as well as vulnerable
people like orphans and widows) from violence by nobles.
Hinduism developed a particular reverence for the cow, and
some Buddhist sects believe animals harbor the souls of past
and future humans, and thus should be treated with the same
compassion.
Starting in the nineteenth century, the concern for animals
led to the formation of animal advocacy groups. Animal pro-
tection agencies were first formed in Britain, which inspired
Americans to form the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals (ASPCA) in 1866. This organization soon persuaded
politicians to pass laws regarding how livestock are trans-
ported by rail. The laws set a precedent followed by animal
advocates to this day.
The nineteenth century also introduced a new moral phi-
losophy, utilitarianism, which revolutionized how the edu-
cated think about animals. Most readers will attest that it was a
vast improvement over the old one. In the seventeenth century
the famed philosopher Descartes had argued that animals
were mere machines, devoid of emotion. His entourage would
beat animals in public and mock those who expressed empa-
thy. Fast-forward to 1823 and philosopher Jeremy Bentham is
sketching out his concept of utilitarianism, arguing that the
suffering of animals may indeed be of similar moral interest
as the suffering of humans. It would take more than a century
for this philosophy to affect how people think about animals,
but its impact was eventually manifested in the writings of
animal advocates and agricultural scientists alike.
The day may come, when the rest of the animal creation
may acquire those rights which never could have been
withholden from them but by the hand of tyranny. . . . But
a full-grown horse or dog is beyond comparison a more
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