“From a philosophical perspective, the general issue is whether a non-human animal has moral ownership rights over its artistic works.” So says philosopher Mike LaBossiere on the
Philosophers magazine blog. That got OTN’s
animal art antennae twitching. According to LaBossiere, “Higher animals like dogs and primates seem to grasp the basics of ownership: they distinguish between what is their property and what is not.” LaBossiere went on to be more specific about the monkey who made a selfie and then was legally denied copyright. “In the case of the monkey the key question is whether or not the monkey understood what it was doing and acted with intent.”
Stay with us animal artist lovers.
He concluded that even if the monkey was in control of the art tools it may not know it was in the process of making art (tell that to all the
OTN animal stars). The result? “There could be art but no artist.” On behalf of animal artist all over the world, stick it where the sun don’t shine LaBossiere.
