Turning to Animal Agency in the Anthropocene

Abstract Agency is central to humans’ individual rights and their organization as a community. Human agency recognized in the Universal Declaration of Rights through guaranteed rights, such right life, basic education, freedom expression, form personal relationships, which all protect humans from tyranny oppression. Though studies animal consistently suggest that we grossly underestimate capacity animals make decisions, determine take action, organize themselves individually groups, few have concerned with whether how relevant for law vice versa. Currently, most laws offer no guarantee animals’ will be respected, fail respond when resist human systems govern them. This failure emerges profound prejudices deep-seated anthropocentric biases shape law, including law-making processes. Law operating exclusively self-judging widely decried denounced—except law. chapter identifies standpoint acknowledgement means dismantle these tendencies, provides instructions on ask questions. It concludes by calling an “animal turn” across disciplines, challenge our assumptions about ought human-animal relationships politically personally, increase civic competence courage, empathy, participation, common engagement, respect alterity.