Welcome!

We’ve imagined a world where the exploitation of animals doesn’t exist, where humans and other animals live together as recognised members of a shared community, and where our systems are designed for the flourishing of all sentient beings.

We believe this isn’t a distant utopia but a practical possibility that begins with reimagining what’s possible. The Multispecies Society framework draws a 100-year journey from our current reality to this transformed world, providing hope, inspiration, and strategy for one of humanity’s most important ethical evolutions.

A Multispecies Society

A multispecies society is a form of community and social organization where humans and other sentient beings coexist as recognized members with moral standing, shared spaces, and systems designed for mutual flourishing. In such a society, animals are not viewed primarily as resources or property, but as fellow beings whose interests, needs, and capacities matter in their own right.

Infrastructure, governance, economic systems, and cultural practices are designed to accommodate diverse species, enabling meaningful participation appropriate to different capacities. Relationships between humans and other animals are characterized by respect, care, and reciprocity rather than exploitation, with communication and connection across species boundaries enriching the experience of all participants. The boundaries between human and animal domains gradually dissapear as physical spaces, decision-making processes, and cultural expressions increasingly integrate multiple species in consensual and mutually beneficial ways.

This society represents not merely the absence of animal exploitation but the presence of new forms of relationship and community that acknowledge the unique contributions and requirements of different species while fostering unprecedented opportunities for cooperation, understanding, and shared flourishing.

The Framework

The Multispecies Society is a visionary framework and organization dedicated to transforming human relationships with other animals from exploitation to compassion, respect. and flourishing. It envisions and works toward a society where all sentient beings are recognized as morally significant members of a shared community, with governance, economic, and cultural systems designed to support the wellbeing and autonomy of all species. Through a comprehensive, long-term approach addressing technological, legal, cultural, economic, and psychological dimensions, we have developed a pathway toward a world where humans live in genuine partnership with other animals rather than dominance over them.

The concept represents both an aspirational vision of what society could become and a practical framework for the gradual transformation of our relationships with other species over the next century. It recognizes that meaningful change requires addressing interconnected systems simultaneously while supporting just transitions for communities currently dependent on animal exploitation.

Terminology and Philosophical Considerations

As we envision a transformed relationship between humans and other animals, the very language we use shapes how we conceptualize this future. The term “Multispecies Society” emerged as our primary framing after careful consideration of alternatives, each carrying different implications and possibilities.

Exploring Alternative Frameworks

Multispecies suggests a community where multiple species coexist with mutual recognition and respect. This framing acknowledges the reality of biological diversity while challenging the moral hierarchies traditionally assigned to different species. It provides an accessible entry point for reimagining relationships while remaining grounded in recognizable concepts.

Interspecies would emphasize the connections and interactions between species rather than their coexistence in shared systems. This framing highlights the importance of communication, engagement, and dynamic relationships across species boundaries.

All-Species makes a stronger claim about comprehensive inclusion, though raises questions about where boundaries might exist (e.g., bacteria, viruses) and might appear overly idealistic from today’s perspective.

Speciesless represents a more radical philosophical position that questions whether “species” itself should remain a significant moral category. Rather than simply including multiple species in one society, this framing suggests transcending species as an organizing principle for moral consideration altogether, focusing instead on capacities, experiences, and needs irrespective of biological classification.

Inherent Tensions and Limitations

We acknowledge several tensions in any terminology choice:

1. Human-Centricity: Even the most progressive visions would always originate from human perspectives and language, creating an inherent asymmetry
2. Linguistic framing: The term “society” itself is a human concept imposed on other species, who may organize their lives in ways we don’t fully comprehend or that don’t align with our notion of “society”
3. Power Dynamics: The reality that humans currently hold disproportionate power shapes how we conceptualize future relationships
4. Evolutionary Potential: Whatever framing we choose today will likely evolve as relationships themselves transform over the coming century
5. Strategic Communication: The need to be both visionary and accessible creates tension between radical reimagining and pragmatic engagement

“Multispecies Society” seems to offer the most balanced approach for this historical moment – challenging enough to push boundaries while accessible enough to engage diverse audiences. It acknowledges current realities while pointing toward transformed relationships.

However, we recognize this framing as evolutionary rather than final. As relationships between species transform through the Four Eras, our very conceptualization of these relationships will likely evolve as well. The final vision might ultimately move beyond even what we can currently articulate, perhaps toward something closer to a “Speciesless Society” where moral consideration transcends biological classification entirely.

By maintaining awareness of these philosophical considerations, we ground our practical work in deeper questions about the nature of moral community and leave space for our vision to evolve alongside the relationships we seek to transform.