Human rights and animal rights: differences matter

Abstract: This critique of Sue Donaldson and Will Kymlicka’s important book, Zoopolis, asks in what respect humans and animals categorically differ and to what extent this difference counts in a moral sense. Second, the text explains why it is illegitimate to equate human victims of racial discrimination and murder with tormented and killed animals. Finally, it is demonstrated why the conceptual analogies to animals presented in this book, namely 'co-citizens' as a term for animals that live in companionship with humans, 'denizens' for those animals that cross borders between human and natural living spaces, and 'sovereign nations' for wild animals, have to be interpreted as overstretched analogies. The main thesis is that the promise of the book - to develop a political theory of animals' rights - remains unfulfilled

Object Details

• Alternative title: Menschenrechte und Tierrechte: auf die Unterschiede kommt es an
• Location: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
• Extent: Online-Ressource
• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Human rights and animal rights: differences matter ; volume:40 ; number:4 ; year:2015 ; pages:55-62 ; Veröffentlichungsversion ; begutachtet (peer reviewed) ; Historical social research ; 40, Heft 4 (2015), 55-62

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Philosophie ; Recht

Contributors, Places and Time

• Creator: Stein, Tine

Further information

• DOI: 10.12759/hsr.40.2015.4.55-62
• URN: urn:nbn:de:101:1-2019052213461819928786
• Rights: Open Access; Open Access; Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.
• Last update: 14.08.2025, 10:47 AM CEST