Speciesism involves assigning different values or rights to beings on the basis of their
species membership. The term was coined by
Richard D. Ryder in 1973 and was an attempt to denote
prejudice akin to
sexism and
racism. The concept of speciesism is used mostly by advocates of
animal rights, who believe that it is
irrational or morally wrong to use any sentient being as an object. Philosophers
Tom Regan and
Peter Singer have both argued against the human tendency to exhibit speciesism. Regan argues that all animals have inherent rights and that we cannot assign them a lesser value due to their irrationality and meanwhile assign a higher value to humans that do not behave rationally (e.g. infants and the mentally impaired). Singer's philosophical arguments against speciesism are based on the principle of
equal consideration of interests and he is the founder of the
Great Ape Project.
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prejudice based on species, especially discrimination against animals.
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