Animal Rights/Liberation Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Abstract: This essay considers the ways in which Hegel's theory of ethical life (Sittlichkeit) can provide us with a different understanding of our ethical obligations to animals. I argue that animal abuse and its toleration constitutes a... more

Abstract: This essay considers the ways in which Hegel's theory of ethical life (Sittlichkeit) can provide us with a different understanding of our ethical obligations to animals. I argue that animal abuse and its toleration constitutes a distortion the ethical substance that we as social beings absorb. As a result, the state has a direct duty to protect animals from pain and suffering and to prevent the emergence of institutions and practices that foster such abuse and suffering. Arguing against the rights-based approach to animal welfare, I argue that we can see a more compelling argument in the anthropocentric understanding of our ethical lives and obligations to others. Seeing ethical life as "functionalist" in nature, I therefore argue that the approach I put forth, what I call "reflexive ethics," can provide us with a more rational basis for the legitimacy of legislation that protects animals from abuse, cruelty, and suffering.

With the publication of an extended editorial titled 'Animal Studies and Art: Elephants in the Room' by Giovanni Aloi, Editor in Chief of 'Antennae', the journal embarks on a new and challenging year-long project constituting somewhat of... more

With the publication of an extended editorial titled 'Animal Studies and Art: Elephants in the Room' by Giovanni Aloi, Editor in Chief of 'Antennae', the journal embarks on a new and challenging year-long project constituting somewhat of a departure from the theoretical approaches of animal studies for the purpose of conceiving new productivities specific to art. This project is provocatively titled 'Beyond Animal Studies'.
At the end of March 2015 the publication of two installments dedicated to multispecies-Intra-action: new ways of thinking multispecies aesthetics through Karen Barad’s agential realism (co-edited with artist/curator Madeleine Boyd) will mark the beginning of this journey. This first offering will be followed by an issue edited by artists and theorists Suzanne Anker and Sabine Flach focusing on the proceedings of an exciting conference dedicated to bioart titled 'Naturally Hypernatural' that took place in New York (November 2014). The last segment of this publishing project will comprise two issues on art and environment that will be made available in December 2015 and March 2016.
'Animal Studies and Art: Elephants in the Room’ is the developed and expanded version of the keynote address Giovanni Aloi gave at the University of Wurzburg in autumn 2014. Its content stems from a genuine sense of concern with regards to current affairs in animal studies, its involvement with contemporary art, and the challenges scholars and artists face in engaging with multidisciplinarity within this context.

Presentación de la traducción del capítulo 5 del libro de Piers Beirne, Confrontando el abuso a animales. Ley, criminología y relaciones humano-animal (2009). Incluye la traducción realizada por Ana Zacil Vieyra Ramírez y revisada por... more

Presentación de la traducción del capítulo 5 del libro de Piers Beirne, Confrontando el abuso a animales. Ley, criminología y relaciones humano-animal (2009). Incluye la traducción realizada por Ana Zacil Vieyra Ramírez y revisada por Itzia Cristina Vieyra Ramírez y Cristina Barragán. El capítulo traducido y la presentación están publicadas en Devenires, Vol. 17, No. 33, 2016, pp. 237-275.

Here in Hawaii, the only ones in the rat race are mongooses, along with Federal and State officials wanting to kill both rats and mongooses. However, there is a big flaw in the recent Federal and State proposal for statewide eradication... more

Here in Hawaii, the only ones in the rat race are mongooses, along with Federal and State officials wanting to kill both rats and mongooses. However, there is a big flaw in the recent Federal and State proposal for statewide eradication of Hawaii's rodents and mongooses, currently under review. Here is the argument against eradication.

Contemporary Muslim scholar Said Nursi's (1877-1960) view of animals is highly spiritual. His positive thinking philosophy extends to the natural environment and includes animals considered harmful to humans. His view of not killing... more

Contemporary Muslim scholar Said Nursi's (1877-1960) view of animals is highly spiritual. His positive thinking philosophy extends to the natural environment and includes animals considered harmful to humans. His view of not killing harmful animals contradicts with the majority Islamic scholarly works which permit the killing of detrimental ones. His understanding of the interconnectedness of natural beings and things as well as their connection to the Divine is the major source for his works. Nursi views each created thing as a piece of the puzzle of the universe in harmony with each other. To him, animals have a deep spiritual aspect alongside their physical dimension. This article argues that throughout his works, Nursi – with his unique perspectives on spiritual approaches towards the environment and devotion to the creation – more than any other Islamic scholar, defended the Islamic view against naturalists and attempted to Islamicize natural philosophy by addressing theists. He views nature as art not the Artist. This article examines Nursi's positive thinking and actions towards animals as he presents a renewed interpretation of Islamic sacred sources.

Extraterritorial jurisdiction stands at the juncture of international law and animal law and promises to open a path to understanding and resolving the global problems that challenge the core of animal law. As corporations have relocated... more

Extraterritorial jurisdiction stands at the juncture of international law and animal law and promises to open a path to understanding and resolving the global problems that challenge the core of animal law. As corporations have relocated and the animal industry (agriculture, medical research, entertainment, etc.) has dispersed its production facilities across the territories of multiple states, regulatory gaps and fears of a race to the bottom have become a pressing issue of global policy. This book provides enough background to allow readers to understand why extraterritorial jurisdiction must respond to these developments, counters objections that readers might raise, and describes how to improve animal law in tandem. The heart of the work is a fully-fledged catalogue of options for extraterritorial jurisdiction, which states can employ to strengthen their animal laws. The book offers top-down perspectives drawn from general international law and trade law, and complements them by a bottom-up up view from the perspective of animal law. The approach connects the law of jurisdiction to substantive law and opens up deeper questions about moral directionality, state and corporate duties owed animals, and the comparative advantages of constitutional, criminal, and administrative animal law. To ensure that extraterritorial animal law does not become complicit in oppressing ethnic and cultural minorities, the book offers critical interdisciplinary perspectives, informed by posthumanist and postcolonialist discourse. Readers will further learn when and how extraterritorial jurisdiction violates international law, and the consequences of exercising it illegally under international law. This work answers questions about how and why extraterritorial jurisdiction can overcome the steepest hurdles for animal law and help move us toward a just global interspecies community.

An interview with Animal Liberation Press Officer Jerry Vlasak.

This is a topic proposal for my researched based argument in Global Research Seminar Class with Dr. David Colon. I hope to write my researched based argument on the relationship between humans and animals in Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee and... more

This is a topic proposal for my researched based argument in Global Research Seminar Class with Dr. David Colon. I hope to write my researched based argument on the relationship between humans and animals in Disgrace by J.M. Coetzee and there importance/significance. The relationship between the two represents the characters social, ethical and moral transformations throughout the novel by literary strategies such as symbolism and allegory.

Despite increasing public attention to animal suffering, little seems to have changed: Human beings continue to exploit billions of animals in factory farms, medical laboratories, and elsewhere. In this wide-ranging and perceptive study,... more

The investigative custody (2008) and judicial proceeding (2010/11) against the Austrian artist Chris Moser on behalf of his animal protection activities in the "Verein gegen Tierfabriken" - "ein rechtsstaatlicher Wahnsinn" (DDr. Michael... more

The investigative custody (2008) and judicial proceeding (2010/11) against the Austrian artist Chris Moser on behalf of his animal protection activities in the "Verein gegen Tierfabriken" - "ein rechtsstaatlicher Wahnsinn" (DDr. Michael Dohr, Rechtsanwalt in Wiener Neustadt).

This article aims to supplement the three “golden rules” of rewilding – or three Cs – the Cores, Carnivores, and Corridors – by a fourth C – Compassion, in discussing the case of Oostvaardeplassen in The Netherlands. The cores refer to... more

This article aims to supplement the three “golden rules” of rewilding – or three Cs – the Cores, Carnivores, and Corridors – by a fourth C – Compassion, in discussing the case of Oostvaardeplassen in The Netherlands. The cores refer to large, strictly protected ecologically intact areas, carnivores refer to natural predators, and corridors connect passages for fauna movements. We propose a fourth requirement: Compassion. This fourth C would ensure that any active (re)introduction must be in the interests of the individual animals involved. This article briefly explains the history of the Oostvaardeplassen project and leads into a discussion of the scientific (biological requirements of the species, area, and species fit, etc. ) and ethical (animal welfare, ecocentrism, etc.) constraints and opportunities for rewilding. All four Cs, we argue, are absent from Oostvaardeplassen, which can be considered an example of how rewilding should not be undertaken. Against this background, we pr...

This chapter highlights several criticisms of zoos, then provides a vision for new zoos: “nooz.” Offering a new name to these institutions makes a clear break from the old model, which is fundamentally exploitative. The common denominator... more

This chapter highlights several criticisms of zoos, then provides a vision for new zoos: “nooz.” Offering a new name to these institutions makes a clear break from the old model, which is fundamentally exploitative. The common denominator between zoos and nooz is that both foster nonhumans who are neither domestic pets nor farmed animals—they keep “wild” animals. Nooz are nonexploitative, benevolent, and are designed for nonhumans, to provide safe-haven for those individuals who have been misused by zoos or science, or injured by humans. This essay also explores “benevolent” reasons for keeping nonhuman animals in zoos, such as captive breeding programs and injured wildlife, and acceptable parameters for nooz, including such topics as retribution for previous exploitation and the problem of carnivory.

This paper offers an exploratory analysis of social movement theory as it relates to the nonhuman animal rights movement. Individual participant motivations and experiences, movement resource mobilization, and movement relationships with... more

This paper offers an exploratory analysis of social movement theory as it relates to the nonhuman animal rights movement. Individual participant motivations and experiences, movement resource mobilization, and movement relationships with the public, the political environment, historical context, countermovements, and the media are discussed. In particular, the hierarchical relationships between factions are highlighted as an important area for further research in regards to social movement success. Specifically, the role of counterframing in subduing radical mobilization and the potential aggravating factor of status contamination is explored.

This 5-part series of articles (written as an undergraduate major in Philosophy and Government) at the College of William and Mary) is the first major study of the animal rights and animal liberation movement that was fully emerging in... more

This 5-part series of articles (written as an undergraduate major in Philosophy and Government) at the College of William and Mary) is the first major study of the animal rights and animal liberation movement that was fully emerging in the United States. It examines the organization, structure, goals, and ideas of those working to protect non-human animals. (Note: unpublished but also available upon request from the author or though the library at the College of William and Mary—and a separate part of this work— is an original theory and analysis of "Inter-specific Justice" (i.e., for both human and non-human animals).

A partir da realização de seis entrevistas semi-estruturadas e da etnografia virtual de grupos da rede social Facebook, a presente pesquisa busca analisar os processos de aprendizagem da culinária vegana, perpassando pelas especificidades... more

A partir da realização de seis entrevistas semi-estruturadas e da etnografia virtual de grupos da rede social Facebook, a presente pesquisa busca analisar os processos de aprendizagem da culinária vegana, perpassando pelas especificidades da realidade de indivíduos que adotam o veganismo enquanto ideologia e estilo de vida. Orientada pelas discussões sobre hábitos alimentares das ciências sociais, pela teoria da “expertise” e pelo conceito de carnismo, pode-se analisar a tentativa do grupo social de veganos em subverter uma lógica já estabelecida pela sociedade em que vivemos onde o consumo e uso de animais não humanos é algo natural. Ao apontar o tratamento dos animais humanos pelos não-humanos enquanto gerador de um conflito ético, esse grupo busca, em diversas esferas da vida social, alternativas para construir hábitos e modos de vida em uma lógica não-especista. Para tanto, organizam-se, interagem e transmitem conhecimentos próprios da área, estabelecendo-se enquanto grupo especializado em veganismo, culinária vegana e temas correlatos.
Palavras-chave: veganismo, culinária vegana, expertise, carnismo

The Belgian radical environmental group Aardewerk invited me to give a presentation on my research, so I quickly invented this title (it's a bit too Star Warsy, perhaps) and combined material from two of my papers on hunting. Not sure how... more

The Belgian radical environmental group Aardewerk invited me to give a presentation on my research, so I quickly invented this title (it's a bit too Star Warsy, perhaps) and combined material from two of my papers on hunting. Not sure how it turned out, but it was fun nonetheless.

Applying Bernard Suits’ conceptual definition of game-playing, and his outline of a conceptual definition of sport, I ask and answer the following question: can hunting be a sport? An affirmative answer is substantiated via the following... more

Applying Bernard Suits’ conceptual definition of game-playing, and his outline of a conceptual definition of sport, I ask and answer the following question: can hunting be a sport? An affirmative answer is substantiated via the following logic. Premise one, all sports are games. Premise two, a game is a voluntary attempt to overcome unnecessary obstacles. Premise three, fair-chase hunters voluntarily accept unnecessary obstacles. Conclusion one: fair-chase hunting is a game. Premise four, a sport can be defined as a game that requires the exercise of physical skill, has a wide following, and institutional stability. Premise five, some fair-chase hunts require physical skill, have a wide following, and have institutional stability. Conclusion two, fair-chase hunting that requires physical skill, has a wide following, and institutional stability is a sport. After substantiating each premise and conclusion I consider and refute several important objections. Primarily, 1) that hunting lacks constitutive rules and 2) that hunting lacks volitional engagement and thus cannot be a game or sport

In this essay I will look at the symbolism that meat holds within our ‘modern’ ‘Western’ society. I will begin by briefly introducing the study of food in general within the social sciences, setting a framework of reference for the... more

In this essay I will look at the symbolism that meat holds within our ‘modern’ ‘Western’ society. I will begin by briefly introducing the study of food in general within the social sciences, setting a framework of reference for the exploration of meat specifically. In
examining meat I will firstly set the context by turning to the global livestock sector and its relationship with the environment, before probing meat’s physical properties and their
ensuing symbolism, which, as we will see, is the basic foundation for meat’s high culinary and dietetic value in our culture. I will then continue to investigate meat’s symbolism by
asking what place, if any, may meat hold within our wider cultural cosmology, within our systems of social and moral ideas, before drawing some conclusions.

In 2005 the Dutch Minister of Agriculture announced his intention to draft a new law in which all aspects of animal health and animal welfare would be covered and to cancel the Animal Health and Welfare Act. The working title for this... more

In 2005 the Dutch Minister of Agriculture announced his intention to
draft a new law in which all aspects of animal health and animal welfare
would be covered and to cancel the Animal Health and Welfare Act. The
working title for this project is “Animals Act”. Dutch animal protection
organizations argue that before a new law is introduced, fundamental ethical
and legal principles should be agreed upon. A coalition of more than twenty
organizations (CDON) drew up a concept General Animal Protection Act
covering the basics of legal protection of animals and their welfare, which
should be used in drafting any new animal related legislation.

For centuries, animals have worked alongside humans in a wide variety of workplaces, yet they are rarely recognized as workers or accorded labour rights. Many animal rights advocates have argued that using animals for their labour is... more

For centuries, animals have worked alongside humans in a wide variety of workplaces, yet they are rarely recognized as workers or accorded labour rights. Many animal rights advocates have argued that using animals for their labour is inherently oppressive, and that animal labour should therefore be abolished. Recently, however, some people have argued that work can be a source of meaning, self-development and social membership for animals, as it is for humans, and that our goal should be to create good work for animals, not to abolish work. In this volume, an international and interdisciplinary group of scholars explores the benefits and drawbacks of animal labour as a site for interspecies justice. What kind of work is good work for animals? What kinds of labour rights are appropriate for animal workers? Can animals consent to work? Would recognizing animals as “workers” improve their legal and political status, or would it simply reinforce the perception that they are beasts of burden? Can a focus on labour help create bonds between the animal rights movement and other social justice movements? These and other questions are explored in depth. While the authors defend a range of views on these questions, their contributions make clear that the question of labour deserves a central place in any account of justice between humans and animals.

In this article, we develop and defend an account of the normative significance of nonhuman animal agency. In particular, we examine how animals’ agency interests impact upon the moral permissibility of our interactions with them. First,... more

In this article, we develop and defend an account of the normative significance of nonhuman animal agency. In particular, we examine how animals’ agency interests impact upon the moral permissibility of our interactions with them. First, we defend the claim that nonhuman animals sometimes have rights to self-determination. However, unlike typical adult humans, nonhuman animals cannot exercise this right through the giving or withholding of consent. This combination of claims generates a puzzle about the permissibility of our interactions with nonhuman animals. If animals sometimes have rights to self-determination, but lack the capacity to consent, then when, if ever, is it permissible for us to touch them, hold them, bathe them, or confine them? In the second half of the article, we develop a solution to this puzzle. We argue that while we cannot obtain animals’ consent, they can engage in authoritative communications of will through acts of “assent” and “dissent.”

Meat can be considered as a regular or even integral part of the human diet, and it has been for around 2.5 million years. Our great ancestors, hominins, were the first ones who started consuming raw meat of animals by hunting down large... more

Meat can be considered as a regular or even integral part of the human diet, and it has been for around 2.5 million years. Our great ancestors, hominins, were the first ones who started consuming raw meat of animals by hunting down large mammals and cutting the remaining meat from their bones. The practice of cooking meat occurred around 800 000 years ago, along with the discovery of fire. This is how carnivorism started and then evolved millions of years later. Today, meat is associated with large agricultural farms and industries, bought in the supermarkets and consumed on dinner plates. We rarely think of it as an animal that was not so long ago breathing and walking. An ethical dilemma arises since unnecessary pain and suffering is caused towards living beings for our own consumption and nourishment, which can be avoided. Additionally, meat industries are one of the largest contributors to the emission of greenhouse gases, causing enhanced global warming. One could turn towards the naturalistic fallacy and argue that since animals eat other animals to keep the food web in a steady-state equilibrium, and since humans are animals who are part of the food chain, humans, therefore, have the right to consume animals. However, this argument then additionally justifies cannibalism and humans killing humans, and we view those as immoral acts. Is it ethical to raise animals in order to consume them? If not, are we then morally obligated to shift towards a plant-based diet?
In this following essay, I will try to offer possible answers to these questions by highlighting arguments for both considering eating meat as an immoral, as well as moral act. I will argue whether or not animals have a moral status and whether or not they live a life worth living in factories.

Despite the evidence concerning the substantial greenhouse gases emissions resulting from animal-based food production, climate policies and institutions around the world have barely made an issue of this link until very recently. To... more

Despite the evidence concerning the substantial greenhouse gases emissions resulting from animal-based food production, climate policies and institutions around the world have barely made an issue of this link until very recently. To better understand this lack of attention, we focus on the discursive role of think tanks as prominent but under researched actors attempting to shape public policy. This contribution examines whether European think tanks have discussed animal-based diets regarding climate change policies and mitigation actions. We conduct a frame analysis study of 110 European think tanks, encoding all their available online output in English related to the link between global heating and animal-based food. We conclude that European think tanks have contributed to a manufacturing of ignorance regarding the impact our dietary choices have on the climate. Ideological reasons related to economic, anthropocentric and patriarchal worldviews explain this role. Free eprint: https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/7PAMIHESZIZRUM9NWBKV/full?target=10.1080%2F09644016.2021.1933842&

In a qualitative content analysis of The Vegan Society’s quarterly publication, The Vegan, spanning 73 years and nearly 300 issues, the trajectory of one of the world’s most radical and compassionate counter cuisine collectives is... more

In a qualitative content analysis of The Vegan Society’s quarterly publication, The Vegan, spanning 73 years and nearly 300 issues, the trajectory of one of the world’s most radical and compassionate counter cuisine collectives is presented and critically assessed. The Vegan Society’s history provides a case study on the ways in which social movements negotiate difference and conflict. Specifically, this article highlights the challenges of identity, professionalization, and factionalism across the 20th and 21st centuries. This research also puts into perspective the cultural impact that veganism has had on Western society, namely the dramatic increase in vegan consumers, vegan products, and the normalcy of vegan nutrition.

On 10 October 2018, a symposium was held by the University of Sheffield Political Theory Research Group discussing Alasdair Cochrane's book Sentientist Politics: A Theory of Global Inter-Species Justice, published October 2019 by Oxford... more

On 10 October 2018, a symposium was held by the University of Sheffield Political Theory Research Group discussing Alasdair Cochrane's book Sentientist Politics: A Theory of Global Inter-Species Justice, published October 2019 by Oxford University Press. This forum contains extended versions of the papers at the symposium. Cochrane opens with a synopsis of the book. Siobhan O'Sullivan then reflects upon Cochrane's methodology of ideal theory and his cosmopolitanism, followed by a reply from Cochrane. Next, Josh Milburn explores the place of wild animals in Cochrane's sentientist cosmopolitan democracy, and Cochrane offers a reply.

Cet ouvrage, centré sur la question interdisciplinaire de la rencontre entre les animaux humains et non humains, cherche à créer des passerelles entre les différents courants des études animales. Des chercheurs issus des sciences de... more

Cet ouvrage, centré sur la question interdisciplinaire de la rencontre entre les animaux humains et non humains, cherche à créer des passerelles entre les différents courants des études animales. Des chercheurs issus des sciences de l'homme et des sciences de la nature questionnent les grandes étapes historiques, politiques et philosophiques qui ont marqué les relations que nous entretenons avec les animaux non humains depuis le Moyen Âge. Ce volume s'attache à mettre au jour les moments de rupture ainsi que le rôle de certains précurseurs de la révolution animale. Il interroge également la notion d'anthropomorphisme et se termine par une ouverture sur le domaine artistique.

This paper seeks, from the philosophy and modern science, showing how scientific research are conducted in the United States. In order to address this issue goes to understand the legal and moral status of animals in society. Animals are... more

This paper seeks, from the philosophy and modern science, showing how scientific research are conducted in the United States. In order to address this issue goes to understand the legal and moral status of animals in society. Animals are seen as a property in every country on Earth, available for any use that humans deem appropriate. To understand the current situation, the author proposes a look through the history.

In this paper I employ a narrative method to explore the learning processes of adult activists engaged in activism. Drawing on the story of one animal activist, I explain the embodied learning processes in a direct action environment. I... more

In this paper I employ a narrative method to explore the learning processes of adult activists engaged in activism. Drawing on the story of one animal activist, I explain the embodied learning processes in a direct action environment. I explore how emotions and the body interplay with learning, which moves beyond a purely cognitive or rational lens of learning that privileges the mind. Importantly, I show the ways in which affect, emotions, and the body are saturated and situated in direct action learning spaces. These emotions and sensory and kinaesthetic bodily dynamics encourage a reconsideration of learning processes that are generally conceptualized as head-based or disembodied. It is argued that embodiment implicates a see–feel–learn sequence rather than a rational process of analyse–think–change, encouraging us to rethink the nature of learning processes in direct action activism.