How 17th-Century Theology Hijacked an Animal Rights Debate

Abolitionists’ antipathy towards cage-free reforms is rooted in an old idea– one most activists want nothing to do with.Why do animal abolitionists hate cage-free campaigns so much? The standard answer is strategy—they think asking for incremental reforms undermines the push for total liberation. But what if there's something deeper going on? In this episode, I trace the "freedom over welfare" instinct all the way back to John Milton's Paradise Lost and a 17th-century theological problem: if God is all-powerful and benevolent, why does he let us suffer? Milton's answer—that freedom matters more than happiness—launched a revolution in political thought that runs through John Locke, the U.S. Constitution, and, I argue, straight into modern animal activism. Most of us have discarded the Protestant theology that created this framework, but we've kept the solution without realizing it. Once you see it, the cage-free debate looks very different.This audio version of Sandcastles is produced using an AI clone of Aidan's voice. Please forgive mispronunciations. Read the original on Substack. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit sandcastlesblog.substack.com