Direitos dos animais: origens, situação atual e perspectivas no mundo e no Brasil

Abstract

This monograph aims to investigate the situation of the movement for Animal Rights, in general, by giving special emphasis to the case of Brazil, and going through the historical trajectory of the relationship between human and nonhuman animals. This study also highlights the different perspectives of the groups that defend the interests of nonhuman animals, which are: utilitarianism and animal abolitionism. It’s important to emphasize that scholars claim that the movement for animal rights is intrinsically linked to the search for human rights guarantees, and that while we treat animals as mere input to the market, there will be a tendency to do the same with humans. The search for rights guarantees to nonhuman animals is relatively new and, although widespread, has little effect, because there is no global consensus on the subject, different from what happens, for example, in relation to human rights. Mainly because of speciesism, which is the belief of moral superiority of one species over another, human society, in general, believes that the lives and welfare of nonhuman animals become factors of secondary importance when compared with the commercial and market value of products that can be generated from the use of animals for the benefit of mankind. However, even with all these obstacles, it can be seen in recent years a positive change strengthening the search for animal rights.