Walker plausibly applies Kant’s formula for humanity to Blue, the horse. First, this is since many other aspects of human existence are considered through the prism of horse life. Kant stated that humanity should be used as an achievement of the goal (Andow, 2023). Thus, Walker shows this with the example of a horse and exposes that one living thing belongs to another as wrong and terrible but reversible. The author writes, “And it would have to be a white horse; the very image of freedom” (Walker, 2023, p. 3). Accordingly, the horse is a kind of symbol of the victory of rationality and humanity over cruelty and belonging. Blue has humanity, as evidenced by the experiences and loneliness of the horse. It suffers, and when it has a friend, it becomes happier. Further, after the horse is left alone, it loses its peace and expresses anxiety, resentment, and bitterness.
Walker views Blue in a sentimental way, but it is not anthropocentric. The author examines the horse with insight, as evidenced by references to the life of the African American population and the Indians. This is the shadow side, highlighting prejudice and ethnic oppression. Through the prism of the horse’s belonging to one person, Walker shows their relationship to other races, typical in the recent past. However, Walker does not place man as the central figure of all existence. At the end of the story, the author mentions human suffering and what animals experience (Walker, 2023). She reduces her thoughts to cows that give milk and bulls killed for meat. Thus, the story is a reminder of how cruel people can be to both other people and animals.
Summing up the arguments under biocentrism, one can say that this sphere implies moral respect for any creature due to its existence. As a part of ecological ethics, biocentrism understands the moral object of humanity and the rights of animals and nature (Basshaam, 2020). Accordingly, all of them must be considered when describing ethical values. I disagree that human life should be on par with other living organisms regarding moral or ethical decisions (Bassham, 2020). As a rule, it is a person who saves other lives. It is vital for people to protect other individuals, as they can become essential elements of society and help more people and other living organisms.
People need a fundamentally new approach to accepting and respecting human and non-human life. In modern realities, some people promote healthy relationships, but others sharply deny them because the person is the primary being. In order to properly relate to Blue, people need to rethink their supremacy in nature. Bridges of Harmony only partially covers the maintenance of animals and the responsibility of people for tamed creatures. However, biocentrism too radically considers the equality of man and other life forms in moral dilemmas. Accordingly, a fundamentally new approach will become the best basis for truly respecting Blue’s integrity, freedom, and autonomy as a horse.
In conclusion, it should be said that Walker applies the Kant formula, where the horse becomes the goal of achieving freedom and a symbol of inequality and suffering. Horse Blue is the personification of how people can make their belonging to the animal world and other people. Finally, people must look for fundamentally new ways to establish a connection between the animal and the non-animal world to exist in justice and harmony.
References
Andow, J. (2023). Epistemic deontology, epistemic trade-offs, and Kant’s formula of humanity. Synthese, 201(2), 47-57.
Bassham, G. (2020). Environmental ethics: The central issues. Hackett Publishing.
Walker, A. (2023). Am I Blue?. Genius.