Theaimofthisbookistoleadyoutomakethismentalswitch
inyourattitudesandpracticestowardaverylargegroupof
beings:membersofspeciesotherthanourown.Ibelievethat
our present attitudes to thesebeings are based on a long
historyofprejudiceandarbitrarydiscrimination.Iarguethat
therecanbenoreason—excepttheselfishdesiretopreserve
theprivilegesoftheexploitinggroup—forrefusingtoextend
thebasicprincipleofequalityofconsiderationtomembersof
otherspecies.Iask youto recognizethatyourattitudesto
members of otherspecies area form of prejudice no less
objectionable than prejudice about a person’s race or sex.
In comparison with other liberation movements, Animal
Liberationhasalotofhandicaps.Firstandmostobviousis
the fact that members of the exploited group cannot
themselvesmakean organizedprotestagainstthetreatment
theyreceive(thoughtheycananddoprotestto thebest of
theirabilitiesindividually).Wehavetospeakuponbehalfof
thosewhocannotspeakforthemselves.Youcanappreciate
howserious this handicap is by asking yourself howlong
blackswouldhavehadtowaitforequalrightsiftheyhadnot
beenabletostandupforthemselvesanddemandit.Theless
ableagroupistostandupandorganizeagainstoppression,
the more easily it is oppressed.
More significant still for the prospects of the Animal
Liberation
movementisthefactthatalmostalloftheoppressinggroup
are directly involved in, and see themselves as benefiting
from,theoppression.Therearefewhumansindeedwhocan
view the oppression of animals with the detachment
possessed,say,byNorthernwhitesdebatingtheinstitutionof
slaveryintheSouthernstatesoftheUnion.Peoplewhoeat