The History of Human-Animal Interaction - Prehistoric Times, Humans Domesticate Animals, Ancient Cultures And Religions, The Medieval Period, The Age Of Enlightenment And The Useof Vivisection
debate
At the heart of the animal rights debate is the issue of how humans and animals should interact with each other. Are animals a natural resource for humans to use as they choose? Or are animals free beings with the right to live their lives without human interference? Is there an acceptable compromise somewhere in between?
People answer these questions differently depending on their cultural practices, religious and ethical beliefs, and everyday experiences with animals. To understand how the debate has evolved over the centuries, it is necessary to examine history and see how the human-animal relationship developed and changed over time.
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Evolutionary science holds that humans are animals that have changed and adapted over hundreds of thousands of years to take on their current form. Biologists classify the human animal as a member of the order Primate, along with chimpanzees and gorillas. Some scientists believe that humans and other primates shared a common
ancestor millions of years ago, and that at some point human animals spli…
Domesticated animals are not just tamer than their wild ancestors; they are different genetically. Over the ages, desirable qualities, such as size and disposition, were engrained by breeding only those animals that displayed them. This explains some of the physical differences between wild and domesticated animals. For
example, most domesticated species are smaller and fatter and have smaller tee…
The Mesopotamian region of the Middle East is considered the cradle of civilization because the peoples that settled there were probably the first to form cities and develop writing systems. They produced literature and works of art and began practicing farming and animal husbandry. (Husbandry is the control and management of
a resource.) Mesopotamia was home to the Sumerians, Babylonians, Israeli…
In general, Europe's medieval period, also called the Middle Ages, is considered the era from the fall of the Roman Empire in the late fifth century through the sixteenth century. The early centuries of the period are called the Dark Ages because few known scientific and cultural achievements were made by Western societies
during this time. Once the Roman emperors were gone, the authorities…
The centuries immediately following the Middle Ages are called the Age of Enlightenment because waves of intellectual and scientific advancement swept across Europe. Many superstitions and customs disappeared as societies became more urban and less rural. Church authorities began to lose much of their power over people's
lives. Medical researchers gained permission to perform autopsies (mos…
As the Middle Ages drew to a close, sports in which animals were pitted against each other became very popular in England. These "blood sports" included bull- and bear-baiting with dogs, cockfighting, and dog fighting. Baiting began as more of a practical matter than a sport. Medieval people believed that an animal that was
whipped immediately prior to slaughter would provide more te…
During the seventeenth century, many Puritans fled England for the New World—North America. The Puritans brought their unique perspective on animals with them. In 1641 the Massachusetts Bay Colony enacted a Body of Liberties that set out the fundamental rights of the colonists. Included in these rights was Article 92, which
stated that "No man shall exercise any Tirranny or Crueltie …
Meanwhile, in Europe new social and philosophical movements were to have far-reaching effects on the welfare of animals. At the time, domestic animals were frequently treated brutally, either for entertainment or for profit. Blood sports continued to go on, although they were mostly enjoyed by the lower classes. Horses pulling
carts and carriages were often beaten in the streets. It was still comm…
Modern legal protections for animals date back to nineteenth-century England. A bill was first introduced in 1800 to make bull-baiting illegal, but it was defeated by Parliament members who argued that it would deny poor people an excellent form of entertainment. Over the next twenty years, several politicians sponsored bills
that would have protected cattle and/or horses against mis-treatment, bu…
By the early twentieth century American society was becoming increasingly urban and industrial. Working animals, such as horses, were gradually replaced with machinery on farms, battlefields, and city streets. The growing middle class had more time and money for leisure activities, many of which involved animals—hunting,
fishing, keeping pets, and visiting wildlife refuges, circuses, zoos, …
As illustrated in William Hogarth's artwork, there has long been a belief that cruelty towards animals and cruetly towards humans are related. In more recent times this belief has been reinforced by scientific and anecdotal evidence. Many notorious serial killers and mass murderers—including Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, David
Berkowitz ("Son of Sam"), and Albert de Salvo …
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