The status of animals in African cosmology: A non-legal perspective

Abstract

A relevant question here is whether there is a difference in the symbolisation of animals between cultures, for example, between indigenous traditions that regard animals as sacred and those that see animals as non-sacred and as pets. From early Greece to the European continent, philosophers have wrestled with questions regarding the ontology of animals. Their speculative enquiry included, among others, whether animals have the ability to experience pain, whether they have a soul, whether they have a mind and can therefore reason, and whether they can be considered to be moral agents. Antonites points out that for Descartes, animals were considered automata, soulless, lifeless beings with no reason and therefore without any moral worth.