Yale Divinity School
Before coming to Yale Divinity School, Emily Brookfield worked with nonprofits addressing domestic violence and food insecurity. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and Classics at Washington and Lee University. As a current second-year student at YDS, she studies the relationship between spiritual and ethical value systems and the welfare of nonhumans, considering potential solutions to animal maltreatment that are rooted in spiritual beliefs. Beyond her studies, she enjoys knitting and being outdoors.
In this paper, I consider the role of nonhuman creation in creating ethical lessons for humans and the values extrapolated from their behaviors through examining the Fables of Babrius. In the Fables, nonhuman behaviors and interspecies interactions are used as models that indicate how virtuous humans ought to act. This ideal pattern of behavior is rooted in the animal’s existence as a member of its own species. A form of natural law is at play, with each species being considered generally “weak” or “strong” depending on their characteristics. I examine the creation of these two categories within the Fables, first defining “strength” and “weakness” within this ancient context. Animals who are “weak,” including those acting beyond their expected behaviors, often die in a shameful fashion, expressing regret or embarrassment after being publicly punished. This kind of death can be compared to an “honorable death,” which uplifts the gods or indicates virtue. Animal authenticity is directly related to their honor and personal preservation. Some fables are highly fantastical. Others are rooted in expected nonhuman behaviors: realistic experiences like animals fleeing from human hunters, gnats sitting on a bull, and certain species being the prey of others are all present within the Fables. Thus, humans and nonhumans come to co-create these tales alongside one another. The nonhuman takes on the role of co-author. Interpreting their actions, embellishing the stories, and ascribing moral value to them comes with heightened responsibility for the human, who may distort natural phenomena to promote their cultural agenda, like encouraging individuals to stay within their station in life or to act with discretion.