| Summary: | For centuries, our conceptions of moral and legal obligations towards nonhuman
animals have been in constant conflict. The moral consideration of animals was never a
direct, unhindered march of progress from some prior historical moment to the early
nineteenth century when the first legislation for the protection of animals was passed. Instead,
the fight for animal rights proved itself to be fraught with difficulty, as it struggled with
disagreements and has been bedeviled by the deep-seated attitude that animal subjugation is
justified by the human acquisition of language, and the corollary ability to reason and form
abstract concepts, in which animals are deemed impotent. Today, our knowledge of
nonhuman animals have become increasingly profound and illuminated as we learn more
about animal cognition and their behaviors in their natural environments. Dr. Jane Goodall
launched her groundbreaking research with wild chimpanzees, and this meant that animal
interests could no longer be ignored when at odds with our anthropocentric concerns, leading
us to scientifically reconsider the ways in which human and animal lives are intertwined.
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