Humanity Against Cruelty to Animals in Historical Literature, Timeline of Animal Rights History

Animal Rights History »»William Whiston

1717 | Astronomical Principles of Religion, Natural and Reveal'd

But as to those who, to avoid all such Difficulties, pretend that Brutes have no Souls, no Sensation, no Action of their own, are merely Corporeal Clock-work, and Machines…they pretend to disbelieve that, what seems to me almost as plainly a matter of Fact and Observation…And when the Scripture assures us, Prov. xii. 10. that a Righteous or Merciful Man regardeth the Life of his Beast; and this in Oppostion to the Cruelty which the tender Mercies of the Wicked or Savage Men are affirm'd to have; it most naturally implies, that those Beasts are themselves really sensible Creatures, and not incapable of feeling the Effects of the Care, or of the Cruelty of their Maters toward them. (William Whiston, Astronomical Principles of Religion [1717], "Important Priniciples of Natural Religion")

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1717 | William Whiston, "Important Principles of Natural Religion," in Astronomical Principles of Religion, Natural and Reveal'd;…Together with A Preface, Of the Temper of Mind Necessary for the Discovery of Divine Truth; and of the Degree of Evidences that Ought to be Expected in Divine Matters (London, 1717; Digitized by Google, 2007).

Image: 1696 | William Whiston, A New Theory of the Earth, From its Original, to the Consummation of All Things, Where the Creation of the World in Six Days, the Universal Deluge, And the General Conflagration, As laid down in the Holy Scriptures, Are Shewn to be perfectly agreeable to Reason and Philosophy (London, 1696),

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