In the introduction to his book Plaidoyer pour les animaux : vers une bienveillance pour tous, Matthieu Ricard explores the complex and often paradoxical relationship between humans and animals. On the one hand, we show a sincere and affectionate attachment to certain animals, such as our dogs and cats, while on the other, we unscrupulously exploit and abuse other species, such as pigs, cows and chickens.
This cognitive dissonance, where love coexists with exploitation, represents a fundamental starting point for his thinking. It illustrates the double standards inherent human society when it comes to animals.
Ricard looks at what feeds this incoherence: cultural traditions, social norms and inherited representations that reduce animals to “resources” at the service of human needs. These traditions justify their exploitation and moral distancing, making it difficult to question established practices such as intensive livestock farming and animal experimentation. This utilitarian approach to animals has become increasingly institutionalized throughout history, contributing to a profound indifference to their suffering.
Matthieu Ricard, however, offers a more optimistic vision of change. One of the main aims of his advocacy is to bring about a radical transformation in our relationship with animals. To achieve this, he takes an interdisciplinary approach, combining moral, scientific and ethical arguments. The book invites us to reconsider our fundamental beliefs about animals, and to recognize their sensitivity, intelligence and capacity to feel pain and emotions. Ricard rejects the still-dominant idea that animals are “inferior” to humans or devoid of consciousness. He insists that this belief is no longer tenable in the light of modern scientific discoveries.
Another central aspect of his introduction is his emphasis on the interdependence between animal welfare, human welfare and the preservation of the planet. The massive exploitation of animals, whether in factory farming or through the destruction of their natural habitats, has profound consequences for the global environment. By alienating animals, we also harm the ecosystems on which we depend, making all the more urgent to reconfigure the way we interact with them.
Ricard calls for a collective awakening. By integrating compassion and altruism into our relationship with animals, overcoming our traditions and adopting more respectful lifestyles, it is possible to repair this moral divide. From his introduction, Matthieu Ricard invites us to transcend our prejudices and envision a society based on universal benevolence, towards both humans and non-humans.
In the first part of Plaidoyer pour les animaux : vers une bienveillance pour tous, Matthieu Ricard lays the philosophical and ethical foundations for defending the respect and protection of animals. The author begins by emphasizing the continuity between humans and non-humans, asserting that animals and humans stem from the same evolutionary process. This scientific perspective highlights the fact that Homo sapiens is just one stage in the evolutionary story. Consequently, the idea that humans occupy a special or superior position has no rational basis. Ricard thus rejects any form of anthropocentrism, explaining that there is no “magic break” fundamentally separating humans from other species. Humans are not a separate category within the animal kingdom, but share biological, emotional and intellectual characteristics with it.
The author also stresses the numerous scientific proofs that have highlighted animal sensitivity and intelligence. Studies have shown that many species possess emotional capacities (such as fear, joy or attachment) and complex cognitive abilities (such as problem-solving or reasoning). These scientific discoveries undermine traditional arguments that relegate animals to an inferior status due to their alleged lack of consciousness or sensitivity. If animals feel pain, emotions and are capable of establishing social relationships, then their suffering cannot be ignored.
Ricard then sets out the fundamental ethical concepts on which his advocacy is based. The notion of suffering lies at the heart of his thinking. In his view, all sentient beings, whether human or not, deserve respect and consideration. Animal suffering is a well-documented reality in factory farming, hunting practices and scientific experiments. Consequently, our ethics must imperatively include compassion for animals, just as we do for humans. To ignore animal suffering would be to resort to a form of speciesism, i.e. discrimination based on species.
One of Ricard’s central propositions is the idea of universal altruism, which transcends the boundaries of the human species. The author suggests that animals should be integrated into the circle of benevolence we traditionally reserve for humans. He draws on the work of thinkers and philosophers such as Peter Singer, author of Animal Liberation, who has argued for a widening of the moral circle. This philosophy considers that a being’s capacity to feel suffering should be sufficient to grant it rights and guide our behavior towards it.
Finally, Ricard calls for a global revision of our ethics, urging everyone to widen their gaze and include all sentient beings within the scope of compassion. The author demonstrates that this transformation is not only possible, but also necessary if we are to evolve towards a fairer society aligned with the values of respect and universal benevolence.
In the second part of Plaidoyer pour les animaux : La monnaie de l’indifférence – violence et exploitation animales, Matthieu Ricard explores the moral, social and historical mechanisms that have led to the normalization of violence against animals. This section illustrates how animal exploitation is based on a mixture of ideological justification, moral avoidance and wilful ignorance.
The author begins by analyzing the elevation of the “human” in dominant systems of thought, where human societies have historically justified the exploitation of animals by asserting their inferiority. This hierarchy is based on cultural constructs that place humanity at the top of the living chain, implicitly authorizing the domination and use of animals for its own benefit. Whether in religious texts, philosophy or economic practices, this anthropocentric vision has resulted in the systematic enslavement of non-humans.
The exploitation of animals is also facilitated by wilful ignorance, made possible by the physical remoteness of places of suffering such as slaughterhouses or factory farms. Animal suffering, though massive, is largely invisible to the majority of consumers. This geographical and psychological compartmentalization maintains the status quo by avoiding confronting individuals with the reality of their food choices. Ricard shows just how strategic this disconnection is: we don’t want to know what goes on in slaughterhouses, as it would offend our moral sensibilities.
Finally, Ricard highlights fundamental inconsistencies in the human/animal relationship. We bestow sincere love on our pets, often treated as family members, while tolerating systematic violence towards farmed or wild animals. This paradox illustrates a moral schizophrenia: we apply our standards of compassion selectively, according to arbitrary or cultural criteria.
Animal exploitation, particularly through the meat industry, has devastating consequences. Ricard highlights the major ecological impacts of intensive livestock farming, including deforestation to grow cereals for livestock, greenhouse gas emissions (notably methane produced by ruminants) and the waste of natural resources such as water and fertile soil. The resources mobilized to produce meat are far greater than those required for a plant-based diet, making intensive livestock farming unsustainable in the long term.
Human over-consumption also leads to the devastation of ecosystems, notably through the destruction of natural habitats. The pressure exerted by factory farming contributes to the mass extinction of animal species and the irreversible loss of biodiversity. Ricard underlines the interdependence between the preservation of ecosystems and human well-being, showing that animal exploitation harms the planet as a whole.
The author also focuses on the suffering of animals in factory farming. Crammed into cramped spaces, mutilated, subjected to stressful living conditions and slaughtered prematurely, animals endure an existence marked by pain and extreme confinement. Transport and slaughter add to this ordeal, highlighting brutal and dehumanized practices.
Ricard then draws parallels between animal exploitation and other forms of historical domination, such as slavery or genocide. Although each context is unique, these systems share common mechanisms:
An economic justification: exploitation is seen as necessary for generate profit or maintain an economic system.
An ideological construct: victims (whether human or animal) are dehumanized, their suffering minimized or denied to enable conquest and exploitation.
This comparative analysis aims to show that our relationship with animals is based on modes of thought similar to those that have enabled other forms of domination. Ricard does not establish a strict equivalence between these systems, but he does underline the urgent need to question the power structures that still allow the exploitation of the most vulnerable, whether human or non-human.
In conclusion, this section highlights the moral contradictions, social and environmental impacts, and ideological roots that perpetuate animal exploitation. Matthieu Ricard invites us to deconstruct these justifications and adopt an ethical and benevolent outlook, not only to preserve animals, but also to guarantee a sustainable future for all the planet’s inhabitants.
In the third part of Plaidoyer pour les animaux – L’élevage industriel : un désastre silencieux, Matthieu Ricard examines the evolution, nature and consequences of intensive livestock farming, a recent but widely adopted practice with disastrous effects on animals, humans and the planet. He sheds light on this often hidden reality and details its ethical, social and environmental implications.
Ricard begins by reminding us that, while raising animals for food goes back thousands of years, intensive farming is a relatively recent phenomenon, born of industrialization and the growing demand for cheap meat. Massively adopted over the last few decades, this practice has become standardized, the point of becoming the main production method in many countries today. The author draws on statistics from the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) and other sources to illustrate the colossal scale of this industry. Every year, tens of billions of land animals (over 60 billion, according to the figures) and an even more astronomical number of sea animals (estimated at 1,000 billion) are slaughtered to satisfy global consumption. These figures reveal the dizzying scale of the exploitation of living beings.
Ricard takes a closer look at concrete cases, highlighting the striking contrast between the actual lifespan of farm animals and their natural potential. For example, chickens raised for meat are slaughtered after five to six weeks, well before they reach maturity, while dairy cows are sent to the slaughterhouse as soon as their productivity declines, even though they could live for decades. These shortened lives, dictated by economic imperatives, show contempt for the basic needs of animals. Confinement conditions are at the heart of the problem. Ricard describes batteries where thousands of animals are crammed into tiny spaces, with no opportunity to move freely or express their natural behaviors. Added to this are common mutilations (beak trimming, live castration, dehorning) to “facilitate” animal management and avoid injuries due to the aggression created by promiscuity. He also discusses the slaughter process, which is often without adequate methods of anaesthetization, exposing the animals to immense suffering in their final moments.
The consequences of factory farming extend far beyond the suffering inflicted on animals. Ricard identifies three main categories of impact: on animals, on humans and on the planet.
For animals
Life in intensive livestock farming is marked by permanent physical and psychological suffering. Animals suffer chronic stress, constant frustration and illnesses linked to unhealthy living conditions. Their diets, designed exclusively to maximize production, defy their natural instincts, neglecting their basic needs. For example, dairy cows produce far greater quantities of milk than would be natural, at the cost of accelerated wear and tear on their bodies.
Industrial livestock farming also has harmful effects on humans, notably through the depletion of soil and water reserves. The cultivation of cereals and soybeans to feed animals takes up huge quantities of arable land and water resources, contributing to the depletion of agricultural ecosystems. In addition, the over-consumption of meat from these systems fosters public health problems, such as the epidemic of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and even certain forms of cancer. In addition, the massive use of antibiotics in intensive livestock farming accelerates the emergence of antibiotic resistance, a serious threat to global health.
Ricard also highlights the catastrophic environmental impact of factory farming, considered one of the main contributors to climate change. Ruminants produce large quantities of methane, a particularly potent greenhouse gas. What’s , the need to grow feed for livestock leads to massive deforestation, particularly in regions like the Amazon, where millions of hectares of forest have been destroyed to make way for soybean fields for livestock farming. The result is declining biodiversity and a growing global ecological crisis.
This section highlights the all-too-often invisible horrors of factory farming, a system designed to maximize profits at the expense of animals, the environment and human health. Ricard calls on readers to wake up to the fact that the scale of animal suffering and the ecological impacts of this industry can no longer be concealed or ignored. It is imperative to re-examine our food choices and promote ethical, sustainable alternatives that respect living beings and the environment. This reflection lays the foundations for the change needed to restore a balance with nature and other species.
In the fourth part of Plaidoyer pour les animaux – Les animaux dans les discours religieux, philosophiques et artistiques, Matthieu Ricard explores how animals have been perceived and treated through the prisms of religion, philosophy and the arts. This section highlights the contradictions present in religious traditions, as well as philosophical reflections and artistic creations that question the relationship between man and animals.
The author shows that, although there are calls for compassion towards animals in these areas, these often coexist with practices or justifications for their exploitation.
Ricard develops a critical analysis of the world’s major religions – Christianity, Buddhism, HinduismIslam and Judaism – and their relationship to the animal condition. Although these beliefs often incorporate values of love, compassion and respect for living beings, these principles are not always applied to animals. For example, in the Christian tradition, while saints such as St. Francis of Assisi have professed a universal love for all creatures, the dominant vision remains marked by idea that animals were created to serve man, justifying their exploitation. Similarly, in Hinduism and Buddhism, although non-violence (ahimsa) is a central principle, local cultural practices may tolerate or authorize the exploitation of animals for ritual, dietary or economic reasons.
These contradictions illustrate an opposition between proclaimed ideals and authorized or institutionalized practices. While scripture and spiritual precepts often advocate benevolence, animal-sacrifice rituals and theological justifications for human domination over other species persist. Matthieu Ricard criticizes this incoherence and calls on religious currents to put the ideals of universal compassion more into practice, to include animals in their moral circle.
Looking beyond the religious sphere, Ricard examines the role of philosophers in critically reflecting on the status of animals and their place in human society. Thinkers such as Plutarch, Voltaire and Jeremy Bentham played a key role broadening ethical debates to include animals. Plutarch, for example, denounced cruelty to animals, while Bentham, a utilitarian philosopher, introduced a major idea: it’s not the ability to reason that matters in establishing rights, but the ability to suffer. These paved the way for profound revisions of prejudices towards animals, and challenged the moral foundations that allow their exploitation.
Complementing the philosophical contributions, Ricard explores how the arts have played a part in raising awareness of animal suffering and championing their cause. Literature, for example, has often been a powerful means of expressing compassion for animals. Theodore Monod, writer and scientist, dedicated part of his life’s work to pleading for a better consideration of living things in all their forms. Film creations and contemporary works in other artistic fields also denounce violent practices such as factory farming and hunting, while celebrating the beauty and sensitivity of the animal world.
Compassion appears to be the central driving force behind these intellectual and artistic reflections. The arts and philosophy, by tackling the injustices inflicted on animals, have offered spaces of resistance to human domination. Through literary, cinematographic and visual works, they continue to challenge our collective consciousness.
This fourth part highlights the historical and cultural ambivalences in the perception and treatment of animals. Although religious discourse often advocates benevolent values, their application in practical Our understanding of animals is limited and contradictory. Philosophy and art, on the other hand, powerful perspectives for questioning and changing our relationship with animals. Through these reflections, Matthieu Ricard invites us to overcome these ambiguities by building a society truly aligned with ideals of universal compassion and respect for all forms of life.
In the conclusion to Plaidoyer pour les animaux – Pour une révision des relations humains-animaux, Matthieu Ricard calls for a profound renewal of our interactions with other species. He stresses the importance of a definitive rejection of the violent and destructive traditions that have long shaped our relationship with animals. These practices, often justified by cultural or economic beliefs, cause immense suffering and compromise the future of our planet.
Ricard offers an optimistic but urgent vision: while it is imperative to act quickly to reverse current destructive trends, there is still time to bring about significant change. This transformation begins with an individual decision, where each person can become aware of their responsibility and change their behavior. Every choice, whether it’s about eating, consuming or supporting animal welfare policies, is a building block for a better future. This change must then extend to a collective commitment, including legislative reforms and broader social movements that promote ethical and sustainable practices.
The author evokes the aspiration to create a world where humans and non-humans coexist harmoniously, each recognized for their intrinsic value and fundamental rights. Such harmony requires a philosophy of compassion and mutual respect, which, far from being a utopia, represents a goal within reach for those ready to embrace a new vision of living beings.
In sum, Matthieu Ricard concludes with a call to action: the future of human-animal relations depends on our ability to evolve, to redefine our relationship with nature, and to build a world based on altruism and respect for all forms of life. This challenge requires both individual awareness and collective effort, but it is necessary if we are to create a sustainable and ethical future.
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