Reviewing Human Philosophy on Wild Life and Animal Protection

Abstract

Philosophical considerations with regard to wild life are reviewed and it is concluded that the world needs new philosophies towards wild life in changing times. This paper is a review of research papers on wild life, animals, animal protection and related issues. Traditional thinking about animals has been shaped by religion, since the ancient Greek civilization. During the fourth century B.C., Greek philosopher Aristotle suggested that animals fall below humans in the natural hierarchy and are appropriate resources for human use (Aristotle, 1989). His ideas on status of animals, and resulting lack of moral consideration, extended well into the Renaissance (Huang, 2007). Christian views regarding the philosophical status of animals are reflected in The Bible, which states that God created man in his own image and we are commanded to subdue animals, for our own purposes (Genesis1:28). The Jewish tradition, while agreeing that animals are subordinate to humans, placed a greater emphasis on minimizing pain to animals based on the tenet that all of God’s creatures are owed compassion (Kemmerer, 2012).