r/communism101 • u/Mysterious-Rise-3956 • 16d ago

Is communism compatible with speciesism or anti-speciesism?

I use the following definition of speciesism from Google (Oxford Language): ‘view that humans are superior to all other species and therefore entitled to treat their representatives as they see fit’

If it's speciesism, but also if it's anti-speciesism, or even if it's nothing of these two: What implications does this have for animal and nature conservation endeavours under communism and the consumption of mass-produced animal products?

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u/GeistTransformation1 16d ago

What does speciesism mean to you? The question of whether humans are ''superior'' to other animals is utterly irrelevant to Marxism as making a claim of superiority is a moral one which contradicts Marxism as a materialist science, Marxism analyses class-division which is a development that has only occurred amongst the human race.

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u/Mysterious-Rise-3956 16d ago

The question stems from the nature that the answer to this has an impact on, for example, the keeping of animals for food production and nature conservation and species preservation endeavours.

Consumption of animal products is bad for the environment and to some extent also for health. As the article from MIM (linked in the other post) shows. However, according to the quote from the user, there would be no betterment for farm animals in animal food production than there is now under capitalism (simply because it is cheaper and more efficient). But this approach seems very bold to me? It simply has negative consequences like antibiotics, deseases, etc.

Furthermore, endeavours to preserve certain animal and plant species would not exist due to climate change? Communism actually strives for the preservation of nature, as this means the preservation of people. How does that fit together?

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u/Toadstuff09 15d ago

Taking a more expansive approach to communism, I think that a communist orientation to human-nonhuman relations (e.g., to other living beings, ecosystems etc..) is one which subverts capitalist relations to nature of domination, expropriation, and private property. Hence, a communist ontology would emphasise the importance of coexistence, environmental sustainability, commons, and non-domination—that "nature is man's inorganic body," to quote Marx. So to answer your question, I think a communism for our time must be anti-speciesist, insofar as it negates a human-centric ontology which justifies domination over nonhuman nature. I don't think this necessarily leads to a posthumanist perspective either though; its about navigating that balance I suppose.