Derechos humanos, derecho animal y crítica de la violencia especista: el lugar de la sintiencia

The purpose of this article is to address the contemporary connection between animal rights, human rights, and the critique of speciesist violence. It is argued that this connection lies in sentience, which has been reconceptualized as the capacity for subjective experience or consciousness, in contrast to the Aristotelian and Cartesian traditions. In these traditions, regarding animals, sentience is sometimes perceived in an essentialist manner to legitimize a supposed natural inferiority and the resulting exploitation, while at other times, it is considered reactively disqualified. This contrasts with qualified sentience, which is associated with a reflective human self. With the contemporary reconceptualization of sentience, it is argued that it does not require a Cartesian-Kantian reflective self, but it does imply a mode of individuation from which someone can be affected, value their own life, and distinguish their experiences from those of others. In that specific sense, sentience is synonymous with consciousness. This approach provides a common foundation for human rights and animal rights since only beings that experience life as their own have the right to life, freedom, and bodily integrity. This, in turn, leads to questioning the current status of animals as things, goods, resources, or property. The article concludes by establishing a link between the critique of this status and the critique of speciesist violence. This violence is based on the establishment of boundaries that separate the human ego from the Other animal, relegated to the status of a thing, good, or ownership. According to this argument, in line with Jainist philosophy, it becomes evident that the construction of cultures of peace requires the recognition of both the basic rights for animals and the interspecific interdependence between humans and (other) animals.

keywords: animal rights, human ri, Jainism, peace, sentience, speciesism, violence

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How to Cite

Ávila Gaitán, I. D. (2024). Human rights, animal rights, and criticism of speciesist violence: the place of sentience. Análisis Jurídico Político, 6(11), 15-32. https://doi.org/10.22490/26655489.7271

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