The legal system overwhelmingly favors the model. In almost every country, animals are legally classified as property or chattel . Anti-cruelty laws protect them from "unnecessary" suffering, but they do not grant them personhood.
For most of Western history, animals were viewed as things —property devoid of intrinsic value. René Descartes famously argued that animals were automata, complex machines incapable of feeling pain. This view justified vivisection (surgery without anesthesia) well into the 19th century. The legal system overwhelmingly favors the model
(sufficient space and proper facilities). The legal system overwhelmingly favors the model
18th Century 1970s 1980s [ Jeremy Bentham ] ------------> [ Peter Singer ] -----------> [ Tom Regan ] Focus: Sentience & Focus: Utilitarianism Focus: Inherent Value Ability to suffer & "Animal Liberation" & Deontology The legal system overwhelmingly favors the model