1st Edition

Against Liberation Putting Animals in Perspective

By Michael P. T. Leahy Copyright 1992
304 Pages
by Routledge

304 Pages
by Routledge

The Western world is currently gripped by an obsessive concern for the rights of animals - their uses and abuses. In this book, Leahy argues that this is a movement based upon a series of fundamental misconceptions about the basic nature of animals. This is a radical philosophical questioning of prevailing views on animal rights, which credit animals with a self-consciousness like ours. Leahy's... Read more
Introduction 1.The Utilitarian Beginnings 2.R G Frey: The Case Against Animals 3.Three Contributions From Tom Regan 4.The Historical Perspective: Aristotle to Darwin 5.Ludwig Wittgenstein: Language-Games and Primitive Beings 5.What Animals Are: Consciousness, Perception, Autonomy, Language 6.Against Liberation: The Ethical Dimension 7.Chapters of Discontent: Eating, Experimenting, Zoos, Bloodsports Notes Bibliography Index

Biography

Michael P. T. Leahy

`Leahy's exploration of the implications of Wittgenstein's philosophy for the animals issue is valuable and salutary.' - Times Higher Education Supplement

`... a useful addition to any collection on the ethics of animal use.' - Laboratory Animals