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Animal Rights: Current Debate and
New Directions Edited by: Cass R. Sunstein,
Martha C. Nussbaum |
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Millions of people live with cats,
dogs, and other pets, which they treat as members of their families. But
through their daily behavior, people who love those pets, and greatly care
about their welfare, help ensure short and painful lives for millions, even
billions of animals that cannot easily be distinguished from dogs and cats.
Today, the overwhelming percentage of animals with
whom Westerners interact are raised for food. Countless animals endure lives
of relentless misery and die often torturous deaths. The use of animals by human
beings, often for important human purposes, has forced uncomfortable
questions to center stage: Should people change their behavior? Should the
law promote animal welfare? Should animals have legal rights? Should animals
continue to be counted as "property"? What reforms make sense? Cass Sunstein
and Martha Nussbaum bring together an all-star cast of contributors to explore
the legal and political issues that underlie the campaign for animal rights
and the opposition to it. Addressing ethical questions about ownership,
protections against unjustified suffering, and the ability of animals to make
their own choices from human control, the authors offer numerous different
perspectives on animal rights and animal welfare. They show that whatever
one's ultimate conclusions, the relationship between human beings and
nonhuman animals is being fundamentally rethought. This book offers a
state-of-the-art treatment of that rethinking. About the editors: Cass R. Sunstein is Karl Llewellin
Distinguished Service Professor at the
Together, they previously edited Clones
and Cloning. They are frequent contributors to popular journals and
newspapers. |
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