Wilhelm Dietler

Wilhelm Dietler (died 1797) was a German philosopher and early animal rights writer.

Dietler was a Master of Philosophy and in 1791 received a professorship of logic and metaphysics at the University of Mainz. He is best known for his book Gerechtigkeit gegen Thiere (Justice Towards Animals) in 1787. The book is the oldest work to use the German term "thierrechte" (animal rights). Two years later, Jeremy Bentham used a similar argument in An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation. Dietler's ideas had almost no acceptance from his contemporaries. Gerechtigkeit gegen Thiere (Justice Towards Animals, 1787)