Animals in Liberal Democracies in Theory and Practice

Abstract

This chapter elucidates what the previously developed interspecies democratic theory means for the normatively required position of non-human animals in liberal democracies. In other words, if the purpose is to respect animals’ right to consideration, what criteria must a liberal democracy meet? It is argued that liberal democracies must reserve an institutional place (legitimacy requirement) in which humans (human assistance requirement) are institutionally bound (non-contingency requirement) to consider the independent interests (independence requirement) of sentient non-human animals who reside on the territory of the state (residency requirement). Subsequently, the political-legal position of non-human animals in current liberal democracies is analysed and examined in the context of these enfranchisement criteria. The chapter concludes that there is currently too much discrepancy between norm and reality, and articulates the need to find institutional means of improving the political-legal position of non-human animals, for the sake of both animals and the open society itself. In anticipating institutional reform, the chapter also defends the methodology of looking into some models that have been proposed for the enfranchisement of future generations.