Open AccessANINAL AS AN ALIEN
Author(s) -
Hanna Mamzer
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
society register
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2544-5502
DOI - 10.14746/sr.2019.3.3.11
Subject(s) - alien , opposition (politics) , notice , posthuman , humanism , phenomenon , epistemology , environmental ethics , non human , sociology , aesthetics , philosophy , political science , law , politics , citizenship
The aim of the text is to reflect on defining animals as negative opposites of human beings, that contradict humanistic values and ideals. In a posthuman thought Rossi Braidotti proposes zooegalitarism, aiming at providing animals and humans with equal rights. In cultural human tradition, one can find deeply rooted tendency to oppose humans and animals. Looking at this phenomenon from a humanistic point of view, we can notice that proposed by Lévinas cathegory of the Other, has no application here. To contrary: animal is treated as an alien, and all negative qualities of the alien are automatically assigned to animal as well. What purpose this opposition serves? And what happens if this opposition disappears?