This is the basicposition of the ancient Hebrew writings
towardnonhumans.Thereisagainanintriguinghintthatin
the original state of innocencewe were vegetarian, eating
only“thegreenherb,”butthatafterthefall,thewickedness
thatfollowedit,andtheflood,weweregivenpermissionto
add animalsto ourdiet.Beneath theassumptionofhuman
dominionthatthispermissionimplies,amorecompassionate
veinofthoughtstilloccasionallyemerges.TheprophetIsaiah
condemnedanimalsacrifices,andthebookofIsaiahcontains
alovelyvisionofthetimewhenthewolfwilldwellwiththe
lamb,thelionwilleatstrawliketheox,and“theyshallnot
hurtnordestroyinallmyholymountain.”This,however,isa
utopianvision,notacommandtobefollowedimmediately.
Other scattered passages in the Old Testament encourage
some degree of kindliness toward animals, so that it is
possibletoarguethatwantoncrueltywasprohibited,andthat
“dominion”isreallymorelikea“stewardship,”inwhichwe
areresponsibletoGodforthecareandwell-beingofthose
placed under our rule. Nevertheless there is no serious
challengetotheoverallview,laiddowninGenesis,thatthe
human species is the pinnacle of creation and has God’s
permission to kill and eat other animals.
Thesecond ancienttraditionof Westernthought isthat of
Greece.Herewefind,atfirst,conflictingtendencies.Greek
thoughtwasnotuniform,butdividedintorivalschools,each
takingits basicdoctrinesfromsome greatfounder.One of
these, Pythagoras, was a vegetarian and encouraged his
followerstotreatanimalswithrespect,apparentlybecausehe
believedthatthesoulsofdeadmenmigratedtoanimals.But
themost importantschoolwasthat ofPlatoand hispupil,
Aristotle.