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Chapter 7.3 John Lawrence and the Rights of Beasts John Lawrence (1753 - 1839) is one of the earliest writers in modern times on animal rights and welfare. He called his book, published in 1796, A Philosophical and Practical Treatise on Horses, and on the Moral Duties of Man Towards the Brute Creation. (1) It is a detailed account on the horse and horsemanship and remarkable in its day for its third chapter, entitled On the Rights of Beasts. He introduces the chapter with a quotation from Shakespeare: E’en the poor beetle, that we tread upon,In this chapter Lawrence implores us to treat animals kindly and with consideration because they are rational, sensible and have souls. As such, Lawrence argued, animals have a basic right of care, which should be endorse by the state. Lawrence recounts wanton cruelty he saw around him - horses thrashed with whips, cattle with tongues cut out and sheep with feet cut off (all alive) - and says, I therefore propose, that the Rights of Beasts be formally acknowledged by the state, and that a law be framed upon that principle, to guard and protect them from acts of flagrant and wanton cruelty, whether committed by their owners or others.Lawrence also expresses that the state should enact laws to protect livestock during transportation and slaughter, anticipating Martin's Act passed by Parliament in 1822, the first law by a state to give a measure of protection to domesticated animals (see Richard Martin). Lawrence declared that wilful cruelty, as well as vivisection, should be outlawed and he opposed animal baiting. Yet he favoured killing animals for sport - as long as they were subsequently eaten. He also supported fox hunting, in the belief that foxes are ‘vermin’, and deserve as predators to be hunted and killed in turn. (But then who should hunt and kill the human predators? Or are humans exempt from this logic?) Possibly his acquisition of a small farm and his interest in poultry had a bearing. Very little is known about his life, but he was born in England where he lived and was descended from a line of brewers. For more about Lawrence see the entry Lawrence, John in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (2). You can read John Lawrence’s book online, or download a copy from Internet Archive at www.archive.org. References (1) Lawrence, John. A Philosophical and Practical Treatise on Horses, and on the Moral Duties of Man Towards the Brute Creation. T Longman: London. 1796. (2) Mitchell, Sebastian: Lawrence, John. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press: Oxford. ›› To Entries & Home |
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