Evolutional Ethics and Animal Psychology

Evolutional Ethics and Animal Psychology

First edition title page
Author	Edward Payson Evans
Language	English
Subjects	Animal rights, animal psychology, evolutionary ethics, human-animal relationships, moral philosophy, history of ethics
Genre	Animal studies, philosophy, psychology
Published	1897
Publisher	D. Appleton & Company
Publication place	United States
Pages	386
OCLC	4854608
Text	Evolutional Ethics and Animal Psychology at the Internet Archive

Evolutional Ethics and Animal Psychology is an 1897 book by the American scholar Edward Payson Evans, published by D. Appleton & Company. The book examines the ethical implications of evolutionary theory in relation to nonhuman animals, arguing that evolutionary continuity between species challenges traditional anthropocentrism in moral philosophy. Drawing on historical, scientific, religious, and philosophical sources, Evans critiques prevailing attitudes toward animals and calls for their inclusion within the sphere of moral concern.

The book addresses topics such as animal psychology, the history of ethics, and human–animal relationships, with particular attention to animals' capacity for suffering, social behaviour, and emotional responsiveness. Evans engages with religious and philosophical traditions that have historically denied animals moral standing, and argues for legal and ethical reforms informed by scientific understandings of animal cognition and behaviour.

Evolutional Ethics and Animal Psychology was one of the first English-language works to systematically connect evolutionary theory with questions of animal ethics and animal rights. It influenced later writers in the field, including Henry Stephens Salt. Upon publication, the book received mixed reviews, with some critics questioning its reliance on anecdotal evidence and evolutionary assumptions, and others noting its contribution to emerging discussions in moral philosophy and comparative psychology.

Background

Edward Payson Evans, 1906

Edward Payson Evans (1831–1917) was an American author and scholar with interests in literature, languages, and moral philosophy. He taught modern languages at the University of Michigan and later lived in Europe, where he contributed to the Allgemeine Zeitung of Munich. His published works covered a range of subjects, including German literature, linguistics, religious symbolism, and ethics.

Evolutional Ethics and Animal Psychology followed his 1894 article "Ethical Relations Between Man and Beast", in which he criticised anthropocentric moral views and argued for broader ethical consideration of animals. In this earlier work, Evans engaged with religious and philosophical doctrines that excluded animals from moral concern, and called for a reassessment based on scientific understandings of animal psychology.

Summary

The ethical corollaries to Darwin's doctrine of the origin of species and to his theory of development through descent under the modifying influences of environment and natural selection have already passed these bounds of beneficence not only by demanding the mitigation of cruelty to slaves, but also by the abolition of slavery, and not only by inculcating the kind treatment of animals by individuals, but also by asserting the principle of animals' rights and the necessity of vindicating them by imposing judicial punishments for their violation.

— Edward Payson Evans, Evolutional Ethics and Animal Psychology, p. 14

The book argues that a thorough understanding of animal psychology is essential for establishing a sound ethical foundation regarding the treatment of animals. Evans begins by tracing the historical development of ethical concepts from the early stages of human civilization. In primitive tribal societies, moral rights and obligations were typically confined to blood relations within the same tribe, while outsiders, including both humans and animals, were often treated as enemies or as beings without rights.

As human societies evolved, so too did their ethical frameworks, gradually expanding to include not only all humans but also animals. Evans critiques the traditional anthropocentric worldview that places humans inherently above all other forms of life, arguing that this perspective is both scientifically outdated and morally inadequate. He emphasizes the importance of recognizing animals' mental capacities—such as their ability to experience pain, form social bonds, and exhibit behaviors that suggest a degree of consciousness—and contends that these capacities should inform how animals are treated ethically.

The book also delves into the influence of various cultural, religious, and philosophical traditions on the treatment of animals. Evans examines how beliefs about animals in different societies—from ancient to modern times—have shaped laws and customs, often leading to contradictory approaches to animal welfare. For example, while some religious traditions promote compassion toward animals, others justify their exploitation based on the belief that animals lack souls or higher intelligence.

Evans argues that these historical attitudes towards animals have often been more reflective of human ignorance and self-interest than of any true ethical consideration. He advocates for an ethical approach that is informed by the latest scientific research on animal behavior and psychology, urging a move away from seeing animals as mere resources or tools for human use. Instead, Evans proposes that animals should be considered as beings with their own intrinsic value, deserving of rights that protect their well-being and dignity.

The book culminates in a call for a revision of existing legal and moral frameworks to better reflect the ethical responsibilities humans have towards animals, grounded in an understanding of their psychological complexity and the evolutionary connections between all forms of life.

Reception

David Irons, writing for The Philosophical Review, described the book as "an interesting, if rather popular and discursive, treatment of one of the applications of the theory of evolution." A review in the Journal of Education described the book as "an interesting and important contribution to the fascinating discussion of the relation of animal species and human races to each other."

Carl Evans Boyd's review in The American Journal of Theology was critical of the book's use of stories about animal intelligence which lacked "insufficient as a basis for generalization." Boyd also criticized Evans for a "failure to recognize that if expatriation be a natural right, it is a right only as against the state of origin, and can have no reference to any other state." Edmond Kelly criticized Evans' use of disputed Lamarckian theory in the book.

Legacy

In a revised edition of Animals' Rights: Considered in Relation to Social Progress, published in 1922, Henry Stephens Salt cited Evans' book as an example of how the long-held distinction between human and non-human animal intelligence has been challenged by recent writers. Salt also drew attention to Evans' claim that humans need to move past anthropocentric conceptions that treat humans as fundamentally different and separate to all other sentient beings and that, as a result, no moral obligations are required towards them.

Writing in 1989, R. J. Hoage described the book as, in the 90 years since its publication, remaining unequaled in its scholarship and insight on the topics of evolutionary ethics and the ethical treatment of animals.

See also

• Moral circle expansion
• The Universal Kinship, a later book by J. Howard Moore which makes similar arguments for the ethical treatment of animals
• The Expanding Circle

External links

• Media related to Evolutional Ethics and Animal Psychology at Wikimedia Commons
• Quotations related to Evolutional Ethics and Animal Psychology at Wikiquote
• Evolutional Ethics and Animal Psychology at the Internet Archive