Speciesism. Discrimination of animals

Essay from the year 2021 in the subject Philosophy - General Essays, Eras, grade: 1,7, University of Kent, language: English, abstract: This essay will apply various theories from social psychology to the human-animal relationship and argue that speciesism is a form of prejudice. It will conclude by using the findings to develop intervention concepts to reduce speciesism. Human relationships with non-human animals are complicated. On the one hand, certain animals are valued as pets, loved and given a standard of living that is better than that of humans in poor countries. Archaeologists even found that at one point in human history, dogs were buried with humans for sentimental reasons in some cultures, highlighting the close bond between humans and their companion animals. On the other hand, farm animals are slaughtered so that their bodies provide meat that humans can consume. The term speciesism emerged and in particular parallels other forms of unjustified discrimination such as racism and sexism. Philosophers realised the inconsistency in our treatment of animals a while ago, now it is time for social psychology to bring the human- animal relationship into its theoretical framework, as this relationship is strongly social and intergroup based.

[english below] Minh Vu ist ein sehr erfolgreicher Unternehmensberater und Psychologe aus Deutschland. Geboren als Kind von Asylanten in einem deutschen Flüchtlingsheim in den 1990er Jahren, ist er zwischen zwei Kulturen aufgewachsen und hat den hohen Wert westlicher Bildungsmöglichkeiten sehr früh erkannt. Im Alter von 22 Jahren erlangte er seinen ersten akademischen Abschluss im Fachbereich der Psychologie. Nebenher war er stark in der Unternehmensberatung aktiv. Auf der einen Seite hat er für weltweit renommierte Beratungshäuser wie der KPMG AG oder Gartner Inc. gearbeitet, auf der anderen Seite als selbstständiger Unternehmensberater in freiberuflichen Teams eigenständig Projekte geleitet und durchgeführt. Geprägt ist die Arbeit von Minh Vu durch seine starken Wurzeln in der wissenschaftlichen Psychologie. Er hat bereits in Deutschland und dem Vereinigten Königreich im akademischen Umfeld geforscht und profitiert von der Synergie aus Wissenschaft und Business. Diese spiegelt sich deutlich in seinen grundlagenorientierten und trotzdem anwendungsbezogenen Werken wider. Viel Spaß beim Lesen! Minh Vu is a very successful business consultant and psychologist from Germany. Born as a child of refugees in a German refugee home in the 1990s, he grew up between two cultures and recognised the high value of western educational opportunities very early on. At the age of 22 he received his first academic degree in the field of psychology. At the same time he was heavily involved in management consulting. On the one hand, he worked for worldwide renowned consulting companies such as KPMG AG or Gartner Inc., on the other hand, as an independent consultant in freelance teams he managed and executed projects independently. Minh Vu's work is characterised by his strong roots in scientific psychology. He has already been researching in Germany and the United Kingdom in an academic environment and benefits from the synergy between science and business. This is clearly reflected in his fundamental yet application-oriented work. Enjoy reading!