Event

A Reflection on Speciesism

Date: August 7, 2025
Location: CITIC Bookstore, Sanlitun, Chaoyang District, Beijing
Language: English. Machine translated Chinese subtitles available with livestream.

Overview

Since the Industrial Revolution, the relationship between humanity and nature has grown increasingly strained—a tension that has, over the centuries, become widely recognized. Yet, reimagining the position of human beings in nature remains an ongoing intellectual project.

Humans must change—but how? The concept of speciesism suggests that there exists an inherent yet often overlooked disparity in how humans treat different species. This disparity carries with it a critique of a certain form of anthropocentric arrogance. Do humans really occupy a unique position in nature, and if so, in what sense? In what ways is human intervention in the lives of other species possible? Where should the boundaries of such intervention lie?

At this event, Horta will elaborate on the discrimination behind the speciesism attitude towards nonhuman beings, and how the criticism on speciesism can be substantiated. Wei’s commentary will focus on the challenge of abolishing speciesism, with a more lenient stance towards human prejudice.

Speakers

Oscar Horta

Animal Ethics Expert and Professor of Philosophy
University of Santiago de Compostela

Oscar Horta is a professor of philosophy at the University of Santiago de Compostela, in Spain. Previously, Horta was a researcher at the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology, and has been a visiting researcher at different universities, including among others Rutgers, Gothenburg, Rome, and Porto. He is also a founder of the charity Animal Ethics. He has more than a hundred academic publications, most of them on the moral consideration of animals, including his book Making a Stand for Animals (Routledge, 2022).

Wei Benqun

Assistant Professor of Philosophy
Renmin University of China

Wei Benqun is a philosopher with a day job as assistant professor at Renmin University of China. Wei’s main area of research is meta-ethics, including the attempt to understand the presuppositions and commitments of our moral talk, thought, and practice. Over the years, he has devoted his attention to the metaphysical status of ethical values. Wei is also interested in the ethical thought of Bernard Williams and the issues concerning the moral status of animals.

About CITIC Bookstores

CITIC Bookstores operate under the CITIC Publishing Group. It adheres to the development concept of "enhancing the value of each reader's unit time" and integrates carefully selected books, cultural and creative products, reader community spaces，and fine dining to upgrade the traditional bookstore model into a composite cultural lifestyle destination.

About The Berggruen Institute

The Berggruen Institute’s mission is to develop foundational ideas and shape political, economic, and social institutions for the 21st century. Providing critical analysis using an outwardly expansive and purposeful network, we bring together some of the best minds and most authoritative voices from across cultural and political boundaries to explore fundamental questions of our time. Our objective is enduring impact on the progress and direction of societies around the world.