Representing Animals: Moral and Epistemic Limits for Protection Against Cruelty

Abstract

Some philosophers argue that animals should be included in the democratic system, with people acting as their representatives in voting on issues that concern them. This article contends that, while animals’ rights are fundamentally important, granting people rights to represent animals in democratic processes may lead to the opposite of what we want. Or worse, it may put animals’ interests and rights at significant risk. If animals’ rights are basic and straightforward, as proponents of this proposal assume, then deliberation is either redundant or dangerous in safeguarding the interests of animals.

Keywords

• animal cruelty
• animal voting
• basic rights
• representatives
• tyranny of the majority