What is the moral status of non-human entities?

Introduction. According to the first chapter of the Genesis, God gave man the "dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, ..., and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth."(1) Throughout history the view, that man can arbitrarily dispose of not only animals but also plants and the whole environment, has persisted and was never questioned. It was only in the last century that …showed first 75 words of 2084 total…

…showed last 75 words of 2084 total…Philosophy, Oxford, OUP, 1995 Kant I., "Duties to animals are indirect" in P. Clarke & Linzey A. Political Theory & Animal Rights, London, Pluto Press, 1990 McInerney P. & Rainbolt G., Ethics, New York, Harper Collins, 1994 Rawls J., A Theory of Justice, Oxford, OUP, 1971 Regan T., The Case for Animal Rights, London, Routledge, 1984 Ryder R.D., Victims of Science, London, Davis-Poynter, 1975 Singer P., Practical Ethics, Cambridge, CUP, 1979 Various authors, The Holy Bible, London, Collins, 1952