When “Justice for All” Includes the Other Species…
Mapping out what multispecies justice might look like
“…with liberty and justice for all.”
For many kids that grew up in the US, the Pledge of Allegiance marked the start of the school day. From a young age, American children are taught that justice is a cornerstone of the modern way of life. As you grow up, and if you are somewhat curious at all, you begin to question that.
Justice for whom?
You trace your finger along the edges of a history textbook to find that social change is covered in the fight for systemic justice. Justice for women, justice for Black folks, justice for children, justice for LGBTQ+ people, and justice for those whose identities sit at the intersection. Justice for all people.
But, what about non-humans. What about all those species that we humans interact with? Surely since they figure into our social schemes deliberately and often, they are given some weight on justice issues. From my point of view, they aren’t. Beyond the odd mention of animal cruelty statutes that do little anyways, other species are not considered at all. I think they should be.
Transformative ideas of justice require human persons to look beyond themselves (even as our own species has some problems to…
