Zoroastrian Attitudes toward Animals

2010 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 367-378 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Foltz
Keyword(s):  
Animal Species ◽  
Attitudes Toward Animals ◽  
Nonhuman Animals ◽  
Ancient Religion

AbstractThe ancient religion of Zoroastrianism devotes considerable attention to relations between human and nonhuman animals. All animal species are seen as being in one of two categories—either beneficent or malevolent, aligned either with the forces of good or with the forces of evil in an ongoing cosmic battle. Humans should treat each species accordingly, zealously protecting “beneficent” species while ruthlessly exterminating “malevolent” ones. Zoroastrian attitudes toward nonhuman animals have likely had a range of influences, both positive and negative, on those found in other traditions, especially Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Animals as Social Objects

2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 206-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Verónica Sevillano ◽  
Susan T. Fiske
Keyword(s):  
Social Perception ◽  
Animal Species ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Social Responses ◽  
Content Model ◽  
Stereotype Content ◽  
Nonhuman Animals ◽  
Behavioral Tendencies ◽  
Similarities And Differences ◽  
Sphere Of Influence

Abstract. Nonhuman animals are typically excluded from the scope of social psychology. This article presents animals as social objects – targets of human social responses – overviewing the similarities and differences with human targets. The focus here is on perceiving animal species as social groups. Reflecting the two fundamental dimensions of humans’ social cognition – perceived warmth (benign or ill intent) and competence (high or low ability), proposed within the Stereotype Content Model ( Fiske, Cuddy, Glick, & Xu, 2002 ) – animal stereotypes are identified, together with associated prejudices and behavioral tendencies. In line with human intergroup threats, both realistic and symbolic threats associated with animals are reviewed. As a whole, animals appear to be social perception targets within the human sphere of influence and a valid topic for research.

Jewish, Christian, and Muslim attitudes toward Animals

2011 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol Bakhos
Keyword(s):  
Religious Traditions ◽  
Attitudes Toward Animals ◽  
Nonhuman Animals

This article surveys Jewish, Christian and Muslim attitudes toward animals in ancient and medieval sources, and demonstrates how the scriptural heritage and its multi-faceted exegetical traditions are shot through with the notion of the superiority of humans to nonhuman animals. Yet at the same time they are suffused with teachings that chasten human arrogance and exhort humans to show compassion toward all species. The article attempts to provide a corrective to both the contestation that these traditions foster the exploitation of animals and the counterargument that ignores an inherent hierarchy in their textual sources. To support the contention that these religious traditions at once uphold a hierarchy and display concern for other animals, the article examines the fate of the fauna in the Noah flood narrative and the Islamic fable, “The Case of the Animals Versus Man.”

Seventh Graders’ Direct Experience with, and Feelings toward, Amphibians and Some Other Nonhuman Animals

2011 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 225-247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iztok Tomažič
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Animal Species ◽  
Companion Animals ◽  
The Other ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Seventh Graders ◽  
Seventh Grade ◽  
Direct Experience ◽  
Time To Build ◽  
Nonhuman Animals

AbstractThis study investigated how seventh-grade students (11-12 years old) rate their fear of, and disgust toward, amphibians in comparison to some other nonhuman animal species. For the purpose of evaluating these variables, a questionnaire with open-ended and self-report questions was used. The study found that direct experience of animals significantly affects students’ self-reported fear and disgust ratings. Boys generally reported less fear and disgust toward animals than girls. With regard to amphibians, students expressed relatively high disgust, but low fear. There were no differences in disgust ratings between boys and girls. Also, a majority of students reported having no direct experience of amphibians, and their attitudes hovered between negative and neutral. Factor analysis placed amphibians in a category of disgust-relevant animals. The other two categories that emerged were interpreted as fear-relevant animals and companion animals. The study concluded that education should place greater importance on allowing students to experience a variety of different animal species directly in order to foster positive change in their feelings and attitudes toward them, and at the same time to build on their understanding of animals.

Understanding African Americans’ Attitudes toward Nonhuman Animals: Historical and Psychological Perspectives

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Kaitlynn S. Richardson ◽  
Kelly C. Burke ◽  
Kairra N. Brazley ◽  
Tayler M. Jones ◽  
Bette L. Bottoms
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
African Americans ◽  
Psychological Theory ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Psychological Reactions ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Two Samples ◽  
Attitudes Toward Animals ◽  
Nonhuman Animals ◽  
Students Attitudes

Abstract Historical and current literature is reviewed and social psychological theory is applied to support novel theories about African Americans’ attitudes toward nonhuman animals. Due to psychological reactions stemming from their brutal U.S. history, involving shared suffering with animals, African Americans are theorized to have either negative or positive beliefs about animals. Two studies revealed the latter: that African Americans have positive attitudes toward animals overall, as measured by a new, statistically reliable Attitudes toward Animals Scale. In Study 1, African American university students’ attitudes were somewhat less positive than White students’ attitudes, but in Study 2, older African American community members’ attitudes were more positive than Whites’. This cross-study difference, however, results from less positive White attitudes in Study 2, rather than from any important difference in African Americans’ attitudes across the two samples. The results and unique theoretical framework pave the way for future research on this important issue.

Public Perceptions of Mental Capacities of Nonhuman Animals

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 445-466 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saara Kupsala ◽  
Markus Vinnari ◽  
Pekka Jokinen ◽  
Pekka Räsänen
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Animal Species ◽  
Nationwide Survey ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Public Perceptions ◽  
Moral Concern ◽  
Multivariate Methods ◽  
Animal Mind ◽  
Nonhuman Animals ◽  
Animal Utilization

Mental capacities are an essential basis on which people give moral concern to nonhuman animals. Hence, it is important to investigate public perceptions of animal mind and the factors underlying these perceptions. Although research into citizen beliefs in animal mind has been increasing, population-based studies utilizing multivariate methods have been scarce. In this article, public perceptions of animal mind are investigated with a nationwide survey in Finland (n = 1,824). Eight animal species positioned differently in cultural categorizations are included in the analysis. Dogs were ascribed the most capacities, followed by cows, pigs, wolves, and elk. Citizens expressed a low belief in the mental capacities of chicken, salmon, and shrimp. Classifying animals as companions, food, and threat influences the perceptions of animal mind. Young age, having a companion animal, valuing societal equality, and concern for animal welfare and for animal utilization are connected to a greater belief in animal mind.

Hiker Narratives of Living among Bears on the Appalachian Trail

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (7) ◽  
pp. 733-751
Author(s):  
Kate Marx
Keyword(s):  
Animal Species ◽  
Ursus Americanus ◽  
Black Bear ◽  
Nonhuman Animal ◽  
Appalachian Trail ◽  
American Black Bear ◽  
Nonhuman Animals ◽  
American Black

Abstract The Appalachian Trail is a 2,000-mile-long wilderness trail shared by hikers and numerous nonhuman animal species, including the American Black Bear (Ursus americanus). In many areas of the trail, bears have become habituated to humans, occasionally leading to conflict between them. Some hikers choose to blog about their experiences on the trail, including their experience of living among bears. Their narratives center around space-oriented themes of proximity, dwelling, and segregation. The concept of dwelling is useful in understanding how hikers and bears come to share a lifeworld in which each species is usually given enough room to dwell in their own way. A hiker’s immersion in the spaces belonging to bears can lead them to a more nuanced appreciation of bears as autonomous beings. Dwelling also points towards a way of being with nonhuman animals that avoids doing harm to them or to their homes.

scholarly journals How Prevalent Are Invertebrates in Human-Animal Scholarship? Scoping Study of Anthrozoös and Society & Animals

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (7) ◽  
pp. 656-677
Author(s):  
Rhoda M. Wilkie ◽  
Lisa Jean Moore ◽  
Claire Molloy
Keyword(s):  
Animal Studies ◽  
Animal Species ◽  
Knowledge Gap ◽  
Vertebrate Species ◽  
Next Generation ◽  
Scoping Study ◽  
Nonhuman Animals ◽  
Extensive Range ◽  
Human Animal ◽  
Leading Journals

AbstractThe field of Human-Animal Studies (HAS) is about human-animal relations. However, which nonhuman animals does the field encompass? In recent years, some scholars have noted a bias towards vertebrate species, especially domesticated mammals. To assess how prevalent (or not) invertebrates have been in HAS scholarship, a three-stage scoping study was conducted of two pioneering journals in the field: Anthrozoös and Society & Animals. This article reports on preliminary findings and confirms that human-animal scholarship, as presented in these two leading journals, is characterized by “institutional vertebratism,” albeit the extent of this invertebrate knowledge gap needs to be fully assessed. If the next generation of HAS scholars are to comprehend the extensive range of interspecies contexts, they must be more inclusive in terms of the diversity of animal species studied. Widening the species net is therefore a necessary corrective to address vertebrate bias in this field.

The Relationship between Empathy and Personality in Undergraduate Students’ Attitudes toward Nonhuman Animals

2012 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann C. Eckardt Erlanger ◽  
Sergei V. Tsytsarev
Keyword(s):  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Animal Rights ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Personality Factors ◽  
Negative Beliefs ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Attitudes Toward Animals ◽  
Nonhuman Animals ◽  
Students Attitudes

Abstract The majority of research investigating beliefs toward nonhuman animals has focused on vivisection or utilized populations with clear views on animal issues (e.g., animal rights activists). Minimal research has been conducted on what personality factors influence a nonclinical or nonadjudicated population’s beliefs about the treatment of animals. The purpose of the present study was to examine the role of empathy and personality traits in attitudes about the treatment of animals in 241 undergraduate students. Results indicated that those with high levels of empathy held more positive attitudes toward animals and more negative beliefs about animal cruelty than those with low levels of empathy. Some differences in participants’ specific attitudes toward animals were found. Limitations and implications for future research are reviewed.

Are You Smarter Than a Cetacean?: Death Reminders and Concerns About Human Intelligence

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 469-489
Author(s):  
Melissa Soenke ◽  
Florette Cohen ◽  
Jeff Greenberg ◽  
Uri Lifshin
Keyword(s):  
Animal Species ◽  
Terror Management Theory ◽  
Terror Management ◽  
Management Theory ◽  
Human Intelligence ◽  
Scientific Article ◽  
Nonhuman Animals

Abstract Terror management theory and research indicate that humans cope with concerns about mortality by believing we are more than nonhuman animals. The current studies investigated whether this motivation plays a role in believing humans are more intelligent than other animals. Study 1 had participants think about mortality or another unpleasant topic. The study found that after the death reminder, participants had more negative reactions to a scientific article describing dolphins as smarter than humans, but not to an article that merely focused on dolphins’ intelligence. Study 2 had participants read an article about dolphins being smarter than humans or an article describing dolphin intelligence without a comparison to humans. Participants then completed a measure that assessed how close to consciousness thoughts of death were. Those who read that dolphins were smarter than humans exhibited higher levels of death-related thought. These results may have important implications for conserving intelligent animal species.

An In-class, Humane Education Program Can Improve Young Students' Attitudes Toward Animals

2008 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate Nicoll ◽  
William Ellery Samuels ◽  
Cindy Trifone
Keyword(s):  
Education Program ◽  
First Grade ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Humane Education ◽  
Therapy Animals ◽  
Attitudes Toward Animals ◽  
Nonhuman Animals ◽  
Young Students ◽  
Students Attitudes ◽  
Report Measure

AbstractAll 8 first-grade classes of an elementary school participated in a study of the efficacy of an in-class humane education program that incorporated regular visits from therapy animals. The study also investigated the relative efficacy of a popular, printed humane-education publication, although it was not possible to use this printed material in its optimal manner. The in-class humane-education program—but not the printed material—significantly increased students' self-reported attitudes toward nonhuman animals as compared to those of students who did not participate in the program. However, neither the in-class program nor the printed material affected student scores on another, self-report measure of interactions with one's nonhuman animal companions. Therefore, the results suggest that such an in-class approach can change young students' attitudes toward animals for the better; not surprisingly, actual interactions with one's pets may be somewhat less tractable.

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