ABSTRACT
This chapter traces shifting attitudes towards animal welfare. Previous chapters have explored the specific ethical issues posed by different forms of exploitation, from confinement in zoos to the suffering of animals in war. This chapter focuses on the rise of humanitarianism since the early nineteenth century and explore how far this has changed the way we treat other species. To what extent have definitions of cruelty changed over time? What factors have shaped human perceptions of animal suffering? Has the fight for animal rights complemented or worked against the fight for the rights of disadvantaged humans? Where do humanitarianism and conservation converge and where to they diverge?
