Since nature makes nothing purposeless or in vain, it is
undeniablytruethatshehasmadeallanimalsforthesakeof
man.^4
ItwastheviewsofAristotle,ratherthanthoseofPythagoras,
that were to become part of the later Western tradition.
Christian Thought
Christianity was in time to unite Jewish and Greek ideas
about animals. But Christianity was founded and became
powerfulundertheRomanEmpire,andwecanseeitsinitial
effectbestifwecompareChristianattitudeswiththosethey
replaced.
The Roman Empire was built by wars of conquest, and
needed to devote much of its energy and revenue to the
militaryforcesthatdefendedandextendeditsvastterritory.
Theseconditionsdidnot fostersentiments ofsympathyfor
the weak. The martial virtues set the tone of the society.
WithinRomeitself,farfromthefightingonthefrontiers,the
characterofRomancitizenswassupposedlytoughenedbythe
so-called games. Although every schoolboy knows how
Christians were thrown to the lions in the
Colosseum,thesignificanceofthegamesasanindicationof
the possible limits of sympathy and compassion of
apparently—and in other respects genuinely—civilized
peopleisrarelyappreciated.Menandwomenlookeduponthe
slaughterofbothhumanbeingsandotheranimalsasanormal
sourceofentertainment;andthiscontinuedforcenturieswith
scarcely a protest.