The Philosophers and the Animals

"We can only have one death of our own; we can comprehend the deaths of others only one at a time.  In the abstract, we may be able to count to a million, but we cannot count to a million deaths" (63). 


"It is a philosophical language in which we can discuss and debate what kind of souls animals have, whether they reason or on the contrary as biological automatons, whether they have rights in respect of us or whether we merely have duties in respect of them" (66).


"At the beginning of "The Poets and the Animals" we are offered the quet anger of a poet who objects to Elizabeth Costello's analogy between the murdered Jews of Europe and slaughtered cattle" (509). 


Elizabeth Costello, an aging somber women, speaks on behalf of the silenced animals who have been slaughtered and killed for human's desire. Although she is depicted as frail and weak, Coetzee emphasizes her power and fervor when lecturing at the university. In fact, Costello is so ardent about her position that "At the beginning of "The Poets and the Animals" we are offered the quet anger of a poet who objects to Elizabeth Costello's analogy between the murdered Jews of Europe and slaughtered cattle" (509). To entice the audience, Costello compares the killing of animals to a genocides saying, We can only have one death of our own; we can comprehend the deaths of others only one at a time.  In the abstract, we may be able to count to a million, but we cannot count to a million deaths" (63). With this said, many argued Costello undercut or devalued the Holocaust. However, if anything, Costello reveals that this ongoing violence is present even today. Many animal liberationist made this comparision in terms of the violence, destruction and dehumanization both have caused. Similar to the Agricultural industry's practices, Nazi German inflicted similar pain on innocent citizens. During this period, "Some Jews' skins were preserved by Nazis for example, to be used for lampshades. Obviously, animals are themselves skinned for furs, feathers, and leather" (538). 

Just as the conquest over animals is defined as Speciesism, Nazism was solely fueled on biological racism and anti-semitism. Those who oppose this comparison argue it's moral intentions against victims of the Holocaust. But I think Costello's speech and her analogy was justified to shed light on such an alarming issue. Rather than taking offense to such a claim, we must acknowledge the magnitude of animal abuse in today's society. Rather exhibiting denial, Costello's comparison forces us to remember and acknowledge our injustices.