The death and consumption of animals: A Derridian critique of the human/animal binary

摘要

This thesis project examines the triangulation among the human/animal binary, death, and the consumption of animals through the work of Jacques Derrida. The human/animal binary is a divisive anthropocentric framework; it is an attempt by humanity to distance itself from its own animality and establish a perception of superiority based on various attributes thought to be present only in humans. Humans are largely thought to be the only entities with a relationship towards death. This thesis explores the disregard of animal deaths and the mass consumption of animals by humans; such actions are seemingly permissible within the binary division. I use Derrida's deconstruction of the human/animal binary to analyze its persistence in Western philosophy and allure in general, while challenging its legitimacy. Lastly, through the work of other philosophers, I engage in the possibilities of a post-binary framework.