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 …

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