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Animal Rights History Timeline » [1785-1837] Romantic Age » Thomas Taylor

Thomas Taylor

A Vindication of the Rights of Brutes

[1792] [Thomas Taylor], A Vindication of the Rights of Brutes (London, 1792; Gainesville, Florida: Scholars' Facsimiles & Reprints, 1966; Online at Animal Rights History, 2003).

THE particular design of the following sheets, is to evince by demonstrative arguments, the perfect equality of what is called the irrational species, to the human ; but it has likewise a more general design ; and this is no other, than to establish the equality of all things, as to their intrinsic dignity and worth. Indeed, after those wonderful production of Mr. PAINE and Mrs.WOOLSTONCRAFT, such a theory as the present, seems to be necessary, in order to give perfection to our researches into the rights of things.

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A

VINDICATION

OF THE

RIGHTS OF BRUTES.

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QUID RIDES ?

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LONDON :

PRINTED FOR EDWARD JEFFERY, PALL-
MALL; AND SOLD BY MILLER, IN SOND-

STRREE ; AND J. SEWELL, CORNHILL.1792.

ADVERTISMENT.

THE particular design of the following sheets, is to evince by demonstrative arguments, the perfect equality of what is called the irrational species, to the human ; but it has likewise a more general design ; and this is no other, than to establish the equality of all things, as to their intrinsic dignity and worth. Indeed, after those wonderful production of Mr. PAINE and Mrs. WOOLSTONCRAFT, such a theory as the present, seems to be necessary, in order to give perfection to our researches into the rights of things ; and in such an age of discovery and independence as the present, the author flatters himself, that his theory will be warmly patronized by all the lovers of novelty, and friends of opposition, who are happily, at this period, so numerous both in France and England, and who are likely to receive and unbounded increase.

The author indeed, is well aware, that even in these luminous days, there are still many who will be so far from admitting the equality of brutes to men, that they will not even allow the equality of mankind to each other. Perhaps too, the will endeavour to support their opinion form the authority of Aristotle in his politics, where he endeavours to prove, that some men are naturally born slaves, and others free ; and that the slavish part of mankind ought to be governed by the independent, in the same manner as the soul governs the body, that is, like a despot or a tyrant. "For (says he) those who are born with strong bodily and weak mental powers are born to serve; and on the contrary, whenever the mind predominates over the body, it confers natural freedom on its possessor." But this is a conclusion which will surely be ridiculed by every genuine modern, as it wholly proceeds on a supposition, that mind and body are two distinct things, and that the former is more excellent than the latter; though almost every one ins now convinced, that soul and body are only nominally distinguished from each other, and are essentially the same.

In short, such is the prevalence of truth, and such the futility of Aristotle, that his distinction between master and servant is continually losing ground; so that all subordination seems to be dying away, and an approximation to equality taking place among the different orders of mankind. The truth of this observation is particularly evident in the female servants, whose independent spirit, Which is mistaken by some for boldness and impudence, is become the subject of general surprise; an who so happily rival their mistresses in dress, that excepting a little awkwardness in their carriage, and roughness in their hands, occasioned by untwisting the wide-bespattering radii of the map, and strenuously grasping the scrubbing-brush, there is not difference between my lady and her house-maid. We may therefore reasonably hope, that this amazing rage for liberty will continually increase; that mankind will shortly abolish all government as an intolerable yoke; and that they will as universally join in vindicating the rights of brutes, as in asserting the prerogatives of man.