Most people recognize a categorical distinction between human beings and beasts.
In modern America, the animal-human boundary is the dividing line between persons and property, separating responsible individuals with rights and duties from mere objects that can be made into soap and sandwiches. Throughout the history of Western thought, philosophers and theologians have sought to justify this boundary by pointing either to the wishes of the Creator or to supposedly unique characteristics of our species, including language ability, self-awareness, and free will. Through readings and discussion, participants in this course will evaluate the reality and meaning of these and other supposed differences between people and beasts, with particular attention to the implications of Darwinian evolutionary theory. Readings will include recent books on human evolution, on the moral implications of Darwinism, on the intellectual history of hunting, and on the ape-language controversy. Matt Cartmill has been teaching biological anthropology and anatomy at Duke since 1969.