Tiere

The main reason for human dignity is our capacity for autonomy. By virtue of our gift of reason we can relativize our purposes in the interests of others and set limits for ourselves. This also gives rise to our duty to recognize and respect animals. From the recognition of every living being as an end in itself follows the duty to respect its intrinsic value. But since animals are not recognized de lege lata as legal subjects with their own rights and cannot adequately assert their interests, the right to rights based on their dignity remains only a moral one. Law that does not posit this right is immoral and therefore unjust.