“The utmost loving-kindness”: Discerning a framework for the treatment of animals in the Bahá’í Writings

The question of the proper relationship between humans and animals can easily fall into “the all too common tendencies . . . to delineate sharp dichotomies . . . and engage in intractable debate that obstructs the search for viable solutions” (Universal House of Justice, 29 November 2017 letter on climate change). The Bahá’í Writings transcend the dichotomy between domination-themed narratives that assign purely instrumental value to the natural world, and materialistic narratives that deny any unique status for the human. This presentation will explore certain relational principles in the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá that can guide our contributions to discourses dealing with animals and the natural world.