![]() ![]() The meanings of the words used and definitions related to the animal world remain vague. But another reason, never spoken of – given the very few linguists who study the notion of animal welfare – is the language, vocabulary and imaginary worlds associated with animals. There are several reasons for this suffering: the two most obvious ones are economic reasons and the absence of ethical awareness among some professionals. Too often the treatment of animals, and the places in which they are kept in farms or at entertainment facilities, do not take into account the biological imperatives of their species, the scientific progress made over the past half-century, or the current legislation (which still does not apply to wild animals).Īnimal welfare, and how to generate it and have it recognised, has become an issue of paramount importance to prevent the suffering and mistreatment of animals. Nevertheless, when it comes to the reality of practices in farming, slaughterhouses, some zoos and circuses for instance, there are processes and premises where animals are not treated like intelligent, sentient beings that experience emotions, and places where they may be mistreated or deeply unhappy.įor the past 40 years, the French Rural Code has stipulated that « each animal is a sentient being that must be placed by its owner in conditions compatible with the biological imperatives of its species » Yet, today it has been scientifically proven that there are not one but several forms of animal intelligence and sentience: animals cry out because they suffer or because they are scared, they express their welfare when they are happy or feel good. However, since Schopenhauer wrote those words, there has been little improvement in animals’ conditions. We have come a long way since the 17 th century in terms of scientific discoveries in the field of animal behaviour. « The world is not a factory and animals are not products to be used for our needs, for animals and humans are fundamentally the same. » Arthur Schopenhauer (Parerga & Paralipomena, 1851) IntroductionĪbove are the words written about animals by Nicolas Malebranche in the 17 th century and Arthur Schopenhauer two centuries later. Know nothing. » Nicolas Malebranche (De la recherche de la vérité, 1674) Grow without knowing it they desire nothing, They eat without pleasure, cry without pain, « In animals, there is neither intelligence (Eds), Animal Welfare: From Science to Law, 2019, pp.41-46. To cite this article (suggested): Guillaume A., « Animal sentience: use and abuse of words Semantic and translatological differences between « bien-être » (welfare) and « bientraitance » (good treatment) of animals », In: Hild S. (Société française de Zoosémiotique – SfZ) ![]() Sorbonne University, Co-chairwoman of the French Society of Zoosemiotics
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |