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Books > Humanities > Philosophy > Western philosophy > Ancient Western philosophy to c 500
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Dumb Beasts and Dead Philosophers - Humanity and the Humane in Ancient Philosophy and Literature (Hardcover)
Loot Price: R1,893
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Dumb Beasts and Dead Philosophers - Humanity and the Humane in Ancient Philosophy and Literature (Hardcover)
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Animal rights do not feature explicitly in ancient thought. Indeed
the notion of natural rights in general is not obviously present in
the classical world. Plato and Aristotle are typically read as
racist and elitist thinkers who barely recognise the humanity of
their fellow humans. Surely they would be the last to show up as
models of the humane view of other kinds?
In this unusual philosophy book, Catherine Osborne asks the reader
to think again. She shows that Plato's views on reincarnation and
Aristotle's views on the souls of plants and animals reveal a
continuous thread of life in which humans are not morally superior
to beasts; Greek tragedy turns up thoughts that mirror the claims
of rights activists when they speak for the voiceless; the Desert
Fathers teach us to admire the natural perceptiveness of animals
rather than the corrupt ways of urban man; the long tradition of
arguments for vegetarianism in antiquity highlights how mankind's
abuse of other animals is the more offensive the more it is for
indulgent ends.
What, then, is the humane attitude, and why is it better? How does
the humane differ from the sentimental? Is there a truth about how
we should treat animals? By reflecting on the work of the ancient
poets and philosophers, Osborne argues, we can see when and how we
lost touch with the natural intelligence of dumb animals.
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