Person and Animal: A closeness without prejudice

Abstract

The debate on the notion of the person and its importance for the Law is one of the most passionate of recent years. The fact that the synonymy of the person and the human being has for centuries been accepted without a shred of a doubt is largely related to the formation of legal systems in the western world and their transposition of decidedly anthropocentric categories. However, the gradual widening of these categories to incorporate new ideas and social demands has vigorously awoken the questions surrounding the notion of the person and of legal personality and its possible extension to animals also. Reflections that contribute to this debate will here be presented, briefly and without prejudice.