Guardians of Wisdom: The Medieval Encyclopedia of the Brethren of Purity, Part 2 of 2

The four sections of the “Encyclopedia of the Brethren of Purity” correspond to natural cycles, and are linked with the four seasons, or lunar phases, symbolizing growth, maturity, harvest, and rest, much like the seasons from spring to winter. “The Animals’ Lawsuit Against Humanity” appears in the 22nd epistle of the “Encyclopedia of the Brethren of Purity,” and it is also known as the “Island of Animals” or the “Debate of Animals.”

The plot of “The Animals’ Lawsuit Against Humanity” revolves around a group of 70 humans who, after narrowly escaping a shipwreck, discovers an island that has only been inhabited by animal-people. “The humans treated the animals with great cruelty, pushing them beyond their endurance, just as they had done with animals in their own lands.” The animal-people are forced to unite in the face of this injustice. In response, the King arranges a series of debates between the humans and various animal-people representatives. “So mark my words, you humans, and heed my warning. Change your ways while there is yet time.” In the debates and through various philosophical and theological asides, the Brethren of Purity convey the need for greater moral responsibility toward animal-people by humans, rather than a justification for moral exemption.

Speaking of the theatrical adaptation of “The Animals’ Lawsuit Against Humanity,” which premiered on September 23, 2024, American attorney Grant Wilson, Executive Director of the Earth Law Center, an organization dedicated to the movement toward ecocentric law, stated, “Many of the arguments that the animals make in the play (‘The Animals’ Lawsuit Against Humanity’) are the same ones made by ‘Earth lawyers’ in the courts as they seek to create legal frameworks that represent all life, not only humans.”