Home / Political objections / Communitarianism
"Duties arise from the community and its traditions, and animals are not members of it."
Communitarianism: the principle
Morality is built in the bonds and practices of a community.
Why excluding animals contradicts the principle
- Domesticated animals have lived inside our communities for thousands of years. Sue Donaldson and Will Kymlicka propose treating them as members, with adapted citizenship rights.
- A community's traditions change, and many changed precisely to include those who were outside (D1, D2).
- A community that defines its members by what suits it repeats the exclusion that struggles for inclusion fought against.
The strongest counter-reply
The most serious version says membership requires taking part in shared practices, which animals do not do.
The answer
Dogs, horses, cows and chickens take part in our practices all the time, just as tools. The question is whether that participation should be exploitation or membership.
See also
D1 We've always done it.D2 It's cultural; criticizing it is ethnocentric.A13 It's natural to put our own first.