Speciesism

Speciesism. A term used in philosophy regarding the maltreatment of individuals of different species. Richard D. Ryder, who coined the term, defined it as “a prejudice or attitude of bias in favor of the interests of members of one’s own species and against those of members of other species.”

Speciesism results in the belief that humans have the right to use non-human animals in exploitative ways which scholars say is pervasive in the modern society.

Studies from 2015 and 2019 suggest that people who support animal exploitation also tend to have intersectional bias that encapsulates and endorses racist, sexist, and other prejudicial views, which furthers the beliefs in human supremacy and group dominance to justify systems of inequality and oppression.

Princeton bioethicist Peter Singer popularized “speciesism,” a derogatory term for the belief that it is acceptable to treat humans differently from animals based solely on species membership. Singer identified this idea as a form of discrimination, as odious as racism and sexism.

Speciesism is criticized by some within the animal rights movement (as distinguished from animal welfare advocacy), which holds, in the words of PETA’s Ingrid Newkirk, “There is no rational basis for saying that a human being has special rights. A rat is a pig is a dog is a boy.” Which is to say, animals and humans have equal moral worth.