"Open Letter to Animals"

Article L'obs and Le Parisien 06/24/2017 –

Paris (AFP) – Is man superior to animals? Frédéric Lenoir, a committed philosopher, deconstructs this theory by demonstrating that animals are different, neither inferior nor equal to man, in his new book "Open Letter to Animals and Those Who Love Them," published at the end of May by Fayard.

"I wrote this book because I have been interested in animals for a long time. I got involved three years ago when the 30 Million Friends contacted me to change the civil code. Shortly after the publication in the press of a petition by intellectuals, the animal was recognized as a 'sentient being' and no longer as 'personal property'," he told AFP .

In his book, Frédéric Lenoir discusses the major philosophical and religious movements. "Only men could address the gods," which "led humans to dominate and exploit animals and to consider them as things," he emphasizes.

However, "each animal species has its differences and singularities." "We must break away from this logic in which we have been trapped for 2,500 years, which consists of putting humans on one side and all other species on the other," believes the animal lover, who "has formed emotional relationships with six cats and three dogs, six of which have died" and whom he "mourned like dear friends."

"Showing humanity no longer simply means respecting other human beings, but every living being, according to their degree of sensitivity and awareness," he believes.

Frédéric Lenoir evokes "the moral schizophrenia of the man who cherishes his dog or his cat, but who has no empathy for the calves or sheep led unceremoniously to the slaughterhouse."

"What also made me decide to get more involved in this fight for animals were the videos from L214 (an animal rights association, editor's note) which revealed the appalling conditions existing in factory farms and slaughterhouses," he adds. "We must put an end to this scandalous situation!"

And change can only come through “the evolution of our lifestyles and consumption patterns.”

– An “ethical animal label” –

"I'm not against eating meat; humans are omnivores, and it's not immoral. However, what is immoral is intensive industrial farming. We raise animals that will suffer from birth to death," the philosopher protests, advocating "a return to human-scale farming."

Having grown up in the mountains with farm animals, he calls for "a reduction in meat consumption and a return to traditional farming where the animal has a more or less normal life."

His priority: to define an ethic for animals, taking into account their level of intelligence and sensitivity. Because "the more intelligent an animal is, the more it is capable of suffering, the more it must be respected. Killing a mosquito does not have the same moral value as killing a pig or a dog, which have great intelligence and sensitivity."

For this ardent defender of animals, "their first right is to live a decent existence, according to their nature, even if they must one day be eaten."

In order to change attitudes, the philosopher hopes to see the introduction of an "ethical animal label" that would allow for better traceability of meat. "Consumers would see that the animal was respected throughout its life, lived outdoors, and was slaughtered on a farm, for example. They would then have the choice to buy more expensive meat, and that would make a difference," he believes.

With his recently created animaux CSA for audiovisual - "which takes into account animal welfare and not just the interests of humans!"