Descartes animal souls distress mistreatment laws

Descartes argued that animals did not feel pain as humans do

Descartes held that animals had no souls, so their signs of distress could be explained as automatic bodily reactions rather than felt pain. This idea helped make mistreatment of animals seem acceptable in Europe and North America until the mid-19th century.

Few of Napoleon’s soldiers left Russia fit to fight

1 in 6 soldiers

Of the soldiers who entered Russia in 1812, only one in six emerged in fighting condition. The Russian army retreated while destroying supplies, and the Grande Armée struggled to keep itself supplied. Disease and shortages caused many French losses, even though the Battle of Borodino was indecisive.

Greek settlement spread through colonization

A shortage of good farmland in mainland Greece helped drive large-scale colonization. Between 800 and 400 BC, Greek settlement spread over roughly ten times as much land, while the population grew from about 800,000 to as many as 7.5–10 million.

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Descartes animal souls distress mistreatment laws

Descartes argued that animals did not feel pain as humans do

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