Parshwanatha, the 23rd Tirthankara, revived Jainism and ahimsa in the 9th century BCE, which led to a radical<unk>  movement in South Asia. The c. 5th-century CE Tamil scholar Valluvar, in his Tirukkural, taught ahimsa and moral vegetarianism as personal virtues. The plaque in this statue of Valluvar at an<unk>  sanctuary in South India describes the Kural's teachings on ahimsa and non-killing, summing them up with the definition of veganism.<unk>  is the philosophy according to which many or all sentient<unk> s have moral worth that is independent of their utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as in avoiding suffering—should be afforded the same consideration as similar interests of human beings. Broadly speaking, and particularly in popular discourse, the term<unk> " is often used synonymously with<unk>  protection" or<unk>  liberation". More narrowly,<unk> " refers to the idea that many<unk> s have fundamental rights to be treated with respect as individuals—rights to life, liberty, and freedom from torture that may not be overridden by considerations of aggregate welfare. Advocates for<unk>  oppose the assignment of moral value and fundamental protections on the basis of species membership alone—an idea known as speciesism since 1970, when Richard D. Ryder adopted the term—arguing that it is a prejudice as irrational as any other. They maintain that<unk> s should no longer be viewed as property or used as food, clothing, research subjects, entertainment, or beasts of burden. Multiple cultural traditions around the world such as Jainism, Taoism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Shintoism and Animism also espouse some forms of<unk> . In parallel to the debate about moral rights, law schools in North America now often teach<unk>  law, and several legal scholars, such as Steven M. Wise and Gary L. Francione, support the extension of basic legal rights and personhood to non-human<unk> s. The<unk> s most often considered in arguments for personhood are hominids. Some<unk>  academics support this because it would break through the species barrier, but others oppose it because it predicates moral value on mental complexity, rather than on sentience alone. , 29 countries had enacted bans on hominoid experimentation; Argentina has granted a captive orangutan basic human rights since 2014. Outside the order of primates,<unk>  discussions most often address the status of mammals (compare charismatic megafauna). Other<unk> s (considered less sentient) have gained less attention; insects relatively little (outside Jainism), and<unk> -like bacteria (despite their overwhelming numbers) hardly any. Critics of<unk>  argue that nonhuman<unk> s are unable to enter into a social contract, and thus cannot be possessors of rights, a view summed up by the philosopher Roger Scruton (1944–2020), who writes that only humans have duties, and therefore only humans have rights. Another argument, associated with the utilitarian tradition, maintains that<unk> s may be used as resources so long as there is no unnecessary suffering;<unk> s may have some moral standing, but they are inferior in status to human beings, and any interests they have may be overridden, though what counts as "necessary" suffering or a legitimate sacrifice of interests can vary considerably. Certain forms of<unk>  activism, such as the destruction of fur farms and of<unk>  laboratories by the<unk>  Liberation Front, have attracted criticism, including from within the<unk>  movement itself, and have prompted reaction from the U.S. Congress with the enactment of laws, including the<unk>  Enterprise Terrorism Act, allowing the prosecution of this sort of activity as terrorism.
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