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Title: Introduction to Animal Rights: Your Child or the Dog? by Gary L. Francione, Alan Watson ISBN: 1-56639-692-1 Publisher: Temple Univ Press Pub. Date: 12 November, 2000 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $21.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.53 (15 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: an excellent introduction
Comment: This book is an excellent resource for factual information regarding the abuse and exploitation of animals in our society.
It is also an excellent introduction to the laws that regulate such exploitation. Basically, US law is that if ANY abuse -- ANY infliction of pain and suffering, ANY torture, death for ANY reason, no matter how horrendous -- is either "routine" (that is, commonly done; the industry standard) or overseen by someone with a degree in science (i.e., some vivisector) then the law permits it. Recently, laws have been proposed to make those who try to protect animals from such abuse labelled "terrorists": the real terrorists are the goverment-, med- & vet-school, and university-sponsored abusers themselves, of course.
Readers will learn a lot from this book. They should, however, take the more "philosophical" aspects of the book with a grain of salt. Francione is provocative, but his claims about what kind of advocacy "real" animal rights advocates can engage in, what tactics will (if any) really succeed in the long run, and his criticisms of some philosophers are often not as carefully defended as they should be.
Nevertheless, for the factual information alone, this book really is an excellent introduction to the issues. Very highly recommended.
Rating: 5
Summary: The most succinct and thorough animal rights book
Comment: The three most well known authors of 'animal rights' books are Tom Regan, Peter Singer and Gary Francione.
Tom Regan's writing is good but I find it has inconsistencies, for example, he attributes non-human animals with inherent value, yet he asserts without justification that killing a human causes more harm to a human than killing a dog causes harm to a dog. Also, he draws the moral line between mammals and the rest of sentient life. Surely sentience, the ability to be the subject of experiences (both painful and pleasurable experiences), is the only factor that has an impact on the moral matter of our treatment of animals. A non-human animal may never experience the pleasure of playing a musical instrument or writing a piece of music, the satisfaction of completing a challenging essay or the stimulation of a game of chess - but neither will most humans. Whatsmore, I will never be able to experience the euphoria of smelling a multitude of scents at the park, the amazing anticipation of going for a run that my dog experiences and the joy of fetching a ball. These experiences are all subjective - to a dog (as an example of a non-human animal) going for a walk is as exciting as composing a piece of music and playing tug of war over a rubber toy is as fun as human competitive sport. We can't say that because the things animals derive pleasure from are not typically what we derive pleasure from that their experiences don't matter as much as ours. Going for an explore in the park amongst the myriad of sights, sounds and smells is to a dog what life is all about.
Of Peter Singer I say this, his writing is commonly confused as animal rights writing - he does talk about AR, but in no way does he support it. Peter Singer does not think using an animal for human ends (e.g., killing an animal to eat it, use in experiments or otherwise utilize) is wrong. He believes non-human animals (perhaps with the exclusion of the great apes - his reasoning: they are too alike to normal humans) are property for 'normal' humans to utilize as long as 'suffering' is minimalised. Singer draws an arbitrary line to protect 'normal' humans like himself from exploitation whilst justifying the exploitation of those who fall below the arbitrary line.
Francione on the other hand, argues that sentience is the only thing that matters in the determination of whether a being has the basic right to freedom from expoitation. He argues his case for animal rights clearly, thoroughly and succinctly without the major inconsistencies that appear in Singers and Regans work. At the end of the book he has provided commonly occuring questions and his respective answers. I found his answers intelligent, original and highly persuasive.
Francione's book is the bible (without the Judeo-Christian dogma) of the true Animal Rights movement. It is a must buy. Regan's work is still important and worth looking at because we must still recognise the importance of his pioneering efforts in animal ethics. Singers work should only be borrowed from the library - to be able to effectively deal with utilitarian arguments when they are presented.
Note: I have a sneaking suspicion that Singer or one of his clones (PETA??) was responsible for the reviews: "Francione not realistic and nor constructive" and "Going down a well travelled path". Singer must be very defensive now that his 'ivory'(the death of the elephants was relatively painless he assures you) tower that he built from sales of 'Animal Liberation' is starting to crumble. The big Animal Welfare organisations also have a lot to lose from Francione's criticism - they get a lot of revenue... from people who think their money is going to be put to good use.
Rating: 5
Summary: It caused me to become vegan (and I am grateful for it)
Comment: This is an amazing book. Eloquently written, well-thought out arguments, facts to back up their arguements. If everyone read this book, I don't see how our world would be the same. We would be unable to continue our misuse of animals without, at the vary least, a guilty conscience of knowing what we are doing is wrong. Highly recommend to anyone whether or not you already believe in animal rights.
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Title: Dominion: The Power of Man, the Suffering of Animals, and the Call to Mercy by Matthew Scully ISBN: 0312261470 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Pub. Date: 15 October, 2002 List Price(USD): $27.95 |
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Title: Animals, Property, and the Law (Ethics and Action) by Gary L. Francione, William M. Kunstler ISBN: 1566392845 Publisher: Temple Univ Press Pub. Date: May, 1995 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: Animal Liberation by Peter Singer ISBN: 0060011572 Publisher: Ecco Pub. Date: 18 December, 2001 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: Rain Without Thunder: The Ideology of the Animal Rights Movement by Gary L. Francione ISBN: 1566394619 Publisher: Temple Univ Press Pub. Date: September, 1996 List Price(USD): $21.95 |
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Title: The Case for Animal Rights by Tom Regan ISBN: 0520054601 Publisher: University of California Press Pub. Date: April, 1985 List Price(USD): $21.95 |
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