What Guides Moral Consideration? Wittgenstein and Diamond on Imagination and Animal Ethics

Abstract

Abstract I draw on the work of Ludwig Wittgenstein and Cora Diamond to argue that imagination plays a key role in moral consideration. By broadening our concepts and drawing similarities (Wittgenstein), our imagination can help us see nonhuman beings as fellow beings (Diamond), namely as beings with whom we share a life. I address two related issues: First, how can we ensure that the exercise of imagination does not merely lead to nonsense? Second, can the imagination remedy the supposed incommensurability between beings with linguistic capacity and those without? An examination of these issues can allow for a conceptual refinement of imagination.