Kant, anthropocentrism, and animal welfare.

This paper will argue six reasons why Kant is an anthropocentric, but not an anthropo-supremacist. It will lay out Kant's case against animal egalitarianism, and how Kant's moral theory nevertheless provides sufficient obligations not to be cruel to other animal species and to care about their welfare, at least in the case of a domesticated animal, the dairy cow. A dairy farmer who is also motivated by Kantian virtue will have enough moral incentive to care about their dairy cows even though Kant's duties to other animal species are indirect and not direct. The paper will then conclude by arguing that current Kantian attempts to rescue Kant from the reproach of anthropocentricism either result in some form of anthropo-supremacy or in an attempt to bring other ethical theories like Utilitarianism and Aristotle into the account to justify animal egalitarianism. These philosophical attempts to support animal egalitarianism do not succeed in overcoming anthropocentrism or anthropo-supremacy, but rather may be contributing to misanthropy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]