This introduction explores the paradox of human exceptionalism, where humanity’s intellectual achievements in philosophy, science, and art have also justified the subjugation of nonhumans. It traces how knowledge systems—from Enlightenment dissection theaters to modern algorithms—classify animals as specimens and data points, emphasizing a dialectic between scientific discovery and human-centered exploitation. The analysis uncovers weaponized empathy—Renaissance painters immortalized ermines as symbols of purity, while their counterparts were skinned for fashion; Victorian physiologists praised dogs as companions yet subjected them to vivisection. Amid the Sixth Mass Extinction and the rise of synthetic biology, the introduction urges confronting the epistemological violence behind human–animal relations and developing “interspecies reimagination”—a way of thinking that replaces extraction with reciprocity, recognizing that all flourishing is mutual.