New Thinking on the Relationship between Human and Animals—Ecological Warning of the outbreak of new coronavirus

Purpose/Significance The rapid spread of COVID-19 has given us an ecological warning, reminding us to re-focus on the relationship between humans and animals. What kind of relationship between humans and animals, how humans should treat animals, how to get along with animals, and rethink the relationship between humans and animals are of great significance. Design/Methodology The relationship between humans and animals has undergone a series of development and changes. The review of the evolution of human-animal relations helps us to have a clearer understanding of the economic and social reasons for the changes in human-animal relations. Environmental ethics provides us with some references for thinking about the relationship between humans and animals, but there are also shortcomings. The Marxist discourse on the relationship between humans and animals can overcome the shortcomings of previous theories and provide a theoretical perspective for us to understand the relationship between people and animals. Findings/Conclusions From the perspective of Marxist theory, we have more clearly realized that there is a universal connection between humans and animals. It is a community of destiny, and protecting animals is protecting humanity itself. At the same time, Marxism also requires us to understand the subject-object relationship between the two from a dialectical point of view, emphasizing the importance of human subjective initiative to resolve the contradiction between humans and animals.