Chapter 5: Man's Dominion. . . Summary and Analysis

A short history of speciesism

The attitudes of our predecessors are no longer relevant in today's world. Many of these attitudes were self-serving. Even St. Thomas Aquinas disguised his exploitation of animals in the veil of religious and moral ideation. Western attitudes toward animals have their roots in Judaism and Greek antiquity which ultimately merged into one ideology within Christianity. There are three historical divisions in Western attitude and treatment of animals.

Pre-Christian Thought

Since the Bible proclaimed that God created man in his own image, man was instantly elevated to a superior position compared to all other creatures. God also gave man "dominion over every other living thing" (p. 187). Adam and Eve ate herbs and fruits but after the fall - which was the joint fault of woman and animal - killing animals was permissible. After...