Accountable Creatures: Primatt’s Dissertation, the Religious Enlightenment, and the Origins of Animal Rights
In: Journal of Early Modern HistorySearch for other papers by Ran Segev in
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Abstract
Outside the field of animal studies, Humphrey Primatt’s Duty of Mercy has received little attention. This article offers a new perspective on his work by contextualizing Primatt’s ecological worldview within Enlightenment debates about the “essence of mankind.” I argue that Primatt’s call to extend “rights” to all creatures was a deliberate attempt to redraw the contested borders between humans and animals by privileging morality over other characteristics of humanity. The article shows how Primatt, an Anglican vicar, incorporated contemporary ideologies and knowledge into Christian teachings in order to formulate his anthropocentric argument and transform the nature of human-animal interactions.
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| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 448 | 70 | 9 |
| Full Text Views | 53 | 4 | 1 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 107 | 14 | 1 |
Accountable Creatures: Primatt’s Dissertation, the Religious Enlightenment, and the Origins of Animal Rights
In: Journal of Early Modern HistorySearch for other papers by Ran Segev in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Abstract
Outside the field of animal studies, Humphrey Primatt’s Duty of Mercy has received little attention. This article offers a new perspective on his work by contextualizing Primatt’s ecological worldview within Enlightenment debates about the “essence of mankind.” I argue that Primatt’s call to extend “rights” to all creatures was a deliberate attempt to redraw the contested borders between humans and animals by privileging morality over other characteristics of humanity. The article shows how Primatt, an Anglican vicar, incorporated contemporary ideologies and knowledge into Christian teachings in order to formulate his anthropocentric argument and transform the nature of human-animal interactions.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 448 | 70 | 9 |
| Full Text Views | 53 | 4 | 1 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 107 | 14 | 1 |