Philosophy and Ethics

Translation from French of the complete text of the post-structuralist philosopher’s ten-hour address to the 1997 Cérisy conference entitled “The Autobiographical Animal.” Considers the roles played by animals in the author’s work as well as a critique of the separation of humans, as thinking animals, from all the other species. A strong indictment of the modern industrialized treatment of animals, while, at the same time, a complex examination of the definition of “life.”

This metafictional novella by the South African Nobel laureate depicts lectures delivered by a fictional character, Elizabeth Costello, regarding animals and what is done to them, and lays out the emotional impact upon those humans who attend to this reality. The book includes responses by Marjorie Garber, Peter Singer, Wendy Doniger and Barbara Smuts. The work is recreated in Coetzee’s subsequent novel, Elizabeth Costello.

Using the concept of freedom as the touchstone for an analysis of animal needs and the realities of how animals are treated, animal behaviorist Marc Bekoff and bioethicist Jessica Pierce explore with a critical eye the ways in which animal freedom is constrained by human behavior in various settings, i.e., industrial food systems, laboratories, zoos and aquaria, homes, and the wild.

An anthology of feminist voices exploring ecofeminist themes, including how our emotions and embodiment form the basis of our relationships in the world, including our relationships with individuals of other species, and ways in which to live less violently. 

A collection of pioneering essays focusing on a feminist perspective on the status of animals and offering support for the idea that the oppression of women is inextricably connected to the ways in which we comprehend and abuse other species. Includes original material from scholars in a wide variety of fields, including an early article by Virginia Woolf.

A collection of essays designed to advance philosophical thinking about attitudes toward and relationships with animals by bringing together new perspectives regarding animal ethics rooted in metaethics, metaphilosophy, epistemology and moral psychology.

Recognizing that the term “empathy,” although increasingly important in both moral theory and animal ethics, is often not precisely defined, this work seeks to clarify the different and sometimes contradictory ways in which the word is used and to compare and contrast cognitive, affective and reflective empathy and their effects on our behavior toward animals.

A political scientist who has written prolifically about animals argues here that our thinking about the proper way to treat animals should be rooted in concepts of justice. While acknowledging that there are many steps from where we are to where we should be in our treatment of animals, Garner argues for the concept of animal rights, including the right not suffer at the hands of humans.

A deep dive into one of the thorniest questions in contemporary animal activism: What are the differences, and similarities, between violent animal exploitation and abortion of human fetuses and how should that affect the laws regulating both? The authors tackle these questions from both a theoretical and strategic vantage point.