Ethics and Animals

In this fresh and comprehensive introduction to animal ethics, Lori Gruen weaves together poignant and provocative case studies with discussions of ethical theory, urging readers to engage critically and empathetically reflect on our treatment of other animals. In clear and accessible language, Gruen provides a survey of the issues central to human-animal relations and a reasoned new perspective on current key debates in the field. She analyses and explains a range of theoretical positions and poses challenging questions that directly encourage readers to hone their ethical reasoning skills and to develop a defensible position about their own practices. Her book will be an invaluable resource for students in a wide range of disciplines including ethics, environmental studies, veterinary science, women's studies, and the emerging field of animal studies and is an engaging account of the subject for general readers with no prior background in philosophy.

"....Ethics introduces readers to the many ways humans use animals, and to the schools of ethical thought that we can use to evaluate the morality of this use.... offer thought-provoking guidelines.... Gruen makes ethical arguments matter, even in situations that seem morally clear."
--Piper Hoffman, writer and attorney, Our Hen House

Reflects on our ethical obligations and responsibilities to other animals, encouraging readers to engage with the philosophical issues at stake.

How do other animals experience their environments? What might they be thinking? Lori Gruen weaves together case studies with accessible ethical analysis to help us to reflect critically on our obligations to other animals. Her book offers a comprehensive resource for students and an engaging account for general readers.

Lori Gruen teaches Philosophy and Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Wesleyan University in Connecticut where she also directs the Ethics in Society project. She has published widely on topics in practical ethics and animal ethics.

1. Why animals matter; 2. The natural and the normative; 3. Eating animals; 4. Animal research; 5. Dilemmas of captivity; 6. Animals in the wild; 7. Protecting animals.