Immanuel Kant (1724 – 1804) was a German philosopher who believed that “perpetual peace could be secured through universal democracy and international cooperation.”

Based on his quote about cruelty to animals, one might think of Kant as an animal lover and an advocate for animal rights. Kant believed that humans had no direct moral responsibility to animals and the only reason we shouldn’t treat them cruelly is because it reflects poorly on humans and human interest. He argued that animals are not self-conscious and that they have no inherent value and are only a means to an end for humans.

So, although at first glance this quote may seem virtuous by animal lovers, like myself, I have found that it couldn’t be further from the truth. Kant did not believe in animal rights as we see them today. He did feel that we should treat them kindly and that they shouldn’t harmed because that speaks poorly of the human condition and may habituate us toward violence against our fellow man.

Sources:

Kant, Immanuel (1927). de Quincey, Thomas, ed. The Idea of a Universal History in a Cosmopolitical Plan. Hanover, New Hampshire: Sociological Press.

Kant, Immanuel. “Duties to Animals and Spirits.” Lectures on Ethics, trans. Louis Infield. New York, NY: Harper and Row. 1963.

McCloskey, Henry J. “Moral Rights and Animals.” Inquiry 22. 1979.