Conclusion and Outlook

The central research question guiding the reflections in this book were: Should nonhuman animals have rights, too? And if so, which? And why? And how could those rights be implemented? In this section, I will try to summarize what my answers would be—at this point in time. In this book, I have argued that nonhuman animals should have rights too, since “what happens to them, matters to them.” The argumentation that grounds human animal rights can equally ground nonhuman animal rights. They, too, are born with an inherent dignity, which should be recognised and protected collectively. Which rights should be granted to which nonhuman animals would require an answer to which this book can only provide an approximation. Rights are protective fences around goods, needs, capabilities, and those vary in the animal kingdom. We therefore need to examine each species individually.