Animal Rights and Wrongs

Rating:
Summary: On the relationship between humans and other animals
Review: This book contributes to an important discussion how we should treat animals. The controversy around this issue is already getting out of hand and results in much violence and even terrorism. So it is of utmost important that we address the problems around it and that people are aware of the issues involved.

As the book is philosophical in nature a large part deals with laying the basis for the philosophical approach chosen. It does this in a way that is understandable for people who are not too familiar with philosophical concepts. It explains the widely used utilitarian approach, which often results in a kind of book keeping of pain and pleasure but makes the most work of explaining the moral foundation for reasoning about our relation ship with the other animals.

In clear examples the book offers views on the relation ship between animals and humans. It explores the differences between the relation ships, for example it explains why the relationship with dogs is different that our relation ship with fish or ants. But also the different bond we have with them when they are for example pets or farm animals. It covers all the important situations; it covers hunting, fishing, horse racing, meat eating, experimentation, dog fighting, etc.

While he addresses all the relations the writer debunks a lot sentimental reasoning we often hear and also debunks the idea that animals can have rights. Animals he argues can have no rights, because rights imply also duties and how can animals be ever expected to full fill those duties. Instead he argues and describes the duties we as humans have against the different kinds of animals.

This is a thought provoking book that is not always the easiest book to read (lucky it is a short book) but I found it well reasoned and it enlightened me very much on our relationship with animals. I recommend it to anyone who is sincerely interested in our relationship with Animals.