Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Lynda Haas
Writing 37
January 30 2015
Evolution of Animal Relations
In all of history the relationship between humans and animals has been ever changing.
Much like the world around us, relations between humans and animals evolve as well. Many
people choose animals and pets or companions and some wonder why humans take animal
companions. Grant Morrison, an author and animal activist, believes that some people feel that
they are superior to animals. Another author, Leslie Irvine, presents several ideas on why and
how humans create relations with other creatures. Other authors look at the evolutionary and
historical record to see why and where relations with animals started. These experts that animals
initially started out as lesser beings or resources, but have since become companions almost
equal to humans.
Many authors argue that power over nature and animals is a catalyst for relations to form
between humans and animals. Grant Morrison is an author and playwright who has spent parts of
his life as an animal activist and animal rights advocate. When asked what his feelings are
regarding animal rights Morrison replied "we hurt, abuse and torture some animals because we
can get away with it, in typical bully style. We tend to think our very human-ness confers upon
us some special distinction from the animals"(Brady). The humans that choose to create abusive
relations and mistreat animals do so simply because they can get away with it. A feeling of
superiority arises within the person playing the "master" and Morrison believes that many
interactions between animals and humans results from this dominance argument. Leslie Irvine is
a professor of sociology at the University of Colorado with one of her research areas being the
human-animal interaction, and she addresses the dominance argument in a chapter of her book, If
You Tame Me. Irvine acknowledges Morrison's ideas and states, "With companion animals, the
situation differs slightly. Our relationships with them are necessarily unequal. They depend on us
to give them food, water, and even to allow them to relieve themselves. In addition, the guardian
at least, the responsible onewill exert power over the animal in training, vaccinating,
sterilizing"(Irvine 26). This inequality creates a feeling of one superior being and one inferior
being, possibly translating into the feeling of domination. However, Irvine also believes that
"Although their utter dependence on their human guardians indeed creates a fundamental
inequality, this does not necessarily translate into domination"(Irvine 28). Irvine states that while
the characteristics of dominance are present, they are not acted on. A distinction is made between
a dominator and a caretaker. Morrison believes that humans use the thought of themselves being
superior beings as the basis for their interactions with animals. Irvine takes this same idea and
extends upon it, claiming that while there is an inequality between two species, dominance over
the "lesser" species is rarely a factor in the thinking of the "superior" one.
Some anthropologists and experts on the subject dismiss this idea of dominance and
instead look towards evolutionary evidence to understand why humans have pets. Pat Shipman, a
paleoanthropologist working at Penn State University, has gave several interviews stating her
ideas in the combined evolution of humans and animals. Shipman believes the "transformation of
formerly wild beasts into living tools gave humans a decisive edge in adapting to new
environments and using the evolutionary advantages of animals for themselves" (Hsu). Shipman
suggests that the bond between humans and animals shifted human capabilities and was the
starting point for the relation that exists today. Krystal D'Costa is an established anthropologist
and has written extensively about the topic. D'Costa states that "Animals were domesticated as
living tools. They expanded the reach of humans and made other resources more accessible.
Animals could provide labor, milk, wool, and opportunities for the production of tools and
clothing"(D'Costa). This was the start of the animal domestication that is common today and
began the transition of animals from tools to companions. Irvine presents this same topic and
agrees with Costa and references the historical record. Irvine claims that the historical record
"credits dogs' superior hunting abilities as the catalyst for relationships with humans. In this
depiction, human hunting parties followed packs of wild dogs"(Irvine 14). She reinforces the
beliefs of Costa, in which animals were tools for hunting. This relationship evolved over time
and eventually resulted in dogs and other animals becoming integrated into society. Today,
humans "routinely take in animals integrate them into our families, creating a beneficial
relationship. Our connection to Fido may be deeply rooted in our evolutionary history"
(D'Costa). D'Costa suggests that humans choose animals companions because it was what our
ancestors did. The aspect that has changed is how we treat and use the animals, going from
"living tools" to almost members of the family. Humans who initially chose animals as tools and
resources have been conditioned to now choose them as companions.
Human-animal interaction experts believe that relations between humans and other
creatures began as humans using "lesser" creatures as tools. Eventually society evolved alongside
these relations and animals have become pets and members of human families. Grant Morrison
states that people attempt to feel superior to their animals, and Irvine states that most others are
simply acting as caretakers. Irvine and D'Costa use the historical record to see how animals
eventually As the nature of relations between people changes, so does the nature of relations
between people and animals.
Works Cited
Brady, Matt. "NEWSARAMA." NEWSARAMA. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Jan. 2015. <http://classicweb.archive.org/web/20071013020107/http://www.newsarama.com/pages/DC/We3.h
tm>.
D'Costa, Krystal. "The Animal Connection: Why Do We Keep Pets? | Anthropology in Practice,
Scientific
American Blog Network." Scientific American Global RSS. N.p., n.d.
Web. 30 Jan. 2015. <http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/anthropology-inpractice/2012/01/20/the-animalconnection-why-do-we-keep-pets/>.
Hsu, Jeremy. "Caring for Animals May Have Shaped Human Evolution."LiveScience.
TechMedia Network, 02 Aug. 2010. Web. 30 Jan. 2015.
<http://www.livescience.com/6818-caring-animals-shaped-human-evolution.html>.
Irvine, Leslie. If You Tame Me Understanding Our Connection with Animals. Philadelphia:
Temple UP, 2004. Print.