Bernd Ladwig
© FU Berlin
Sentient animals have moral rights because they share with us some morally relevant characteristics such as interests in live and well-being. Unjustly regulated human-animal relations are part of the basic structure of our society for which we are commonly responsible as citizens. In that regard, animals rights should be a matter of political philosophy. Authors such as Sue Donaldson and Will Kymlicka, however, go too far in applying genuinely political concepts such as "citizenship" to our relations with animals. Animals have no concept of themselves as free and equal citizens and cannot intentionally influence political communities as such. Although their objective interest encompasses the aspect of membership that is part of the status of citizenship this does not include a further aspect - active political participation.
