Reviewed By:
James Serpell
University of Pennsylvania

Richard Sorabji
Animals Minds and Human Morals
Ithaca NY, Cornell University Press, 1993, 267 pp.

Animal Minds and Human Morals is an important book providing a much-needed historical dimension to recent discussions on the ethics of nonhuman animal use. While several authors have already described the historical basis of the modern controversy in the writings of medieval, Renaissance and Early Modern philosophers and theologians, Sorabji takes us back a stage further to the very roots of this whole debate in classical antiquity.

He compares and contrasts the views of the different philosophical schools, from the early Presocratics to the late Neoplatonists, regarding the issue of animal "mentality," and traces their subsequent impact on the development of Judaeo-Christian, and hence modern, ideas. According to Sorabji's thesis, modern Europe derived its philosophical position on animals and their treatment primarily from Aristotle and various Stoic philosophers who (though from very different perspectives) denied "reason" and "belief" to animals, and hence excluded them from moral consideration. This tradition was transmitted via the writings of Augustine, and later Thomas Aquinas, who appear to have selectively ignored contrasting, "pro-animal" arguments, such as those expounded by Aristotle's own student and successor, Theophrastus, and the later Neoplatonist, Porphyry. Sorabji does not speculate at length as to why the "anti-animal" perspective eventually prevailed, although he certainly hints that the popularity of meat-eating, hunting and animal sacrifice were not unimportant considerations.

Toward the end of the book, Sorabji notes some striking similarities between the ancient and modern discussions of animals' mental abilities. For example, on the subject of animals' powers of speech it appears that the ancients - like modern students of so-called "ape language" - eventually concluded that animals could use meaningful signs (semantics) but that they lacked syntax. He also notes some equally striking differences, however, in the kinds of ethical theories which have emerged from these discussions. It surprised me, for instance, to learn that the classical scholars never employed the concept of "rights" even in relation to human morality, let alone with respect to the treatment of animals. The early controversy surrounding the moral status of animals revolved entirely around the question of animal "rationality" rather than any discussion about rights. I was even more surprised to discover that the issue of pain and suffering never entered into the early debates. The moral arguments focused exclusively on whether or not it was appropriate for humans to kill and eat animals. Whether they suffered or not in the process appears to have been largely immaterial. Despite these apparent gaps in the ancient debate, Sorabji evidently does not have a high regard for any of the current philosophical proponents of animal rights or liberation. In his concluding chapter, he dismisses the rival ethical theories of Singer and Regan as being essentially "one-dimensional" and advocates the detailed study of "morally relevant" differences between human and nonhuman, including "possible relationships to us." However, this tantalizing proposal is couched in such vague terms that I finished the book without a clear sense of philosophical direction.

Finally, although it has much to commend it, this book is not an easy read. Anyone, apart from a philosopher of mind, is likely to find the first few chapters extremely heavy going since Sorabji makes few concessions to the uninitiated. The discussion of the different classical schools of thought on such issues as animal perception, reason, belief, appearance, thought, memory, assent, and so on, is so densely written, and so devoid of clarifying examples, that this reviewer remains perplexed concerning the nature, or even the gist, of some of the early philosophical arguments. Nevertheless, it is worth persevering. Animal Minds and Human Morals fills an important hole in the literature on human-animal interactions. It will serve as a key source book for those researching the history of western ideas about animals for many years to come.

For abstracts of all issues, including the most current, click Article Abstracts

To order Society & Animals Journal, go to our secure online ordering page

You can Search the online issues of Society & Animals, as well as the entire Society & Animals Forum (formerly PSYETA) website,
for topics and keywords of your interest: