Animal Rights: Current Debates and New Directions

The cover of the book had a dent

MY RATING SYSTEM:* - if you have to chose between torture and reading this book, then you might want to consider reading the book - although it depends on just how severe the torture would be.** - if you've lost your job and have quite a bit of free time on your hands, and don't have anything else better to do, then you might want to consider reading this book; don't expect to learn much or really be entertained. It will however, help you pass the time until your death.*** - meh...I'm indifferent. Reading this book will not alter your life in any significant way, yet it is not so horrendously dreadful that your taking the time to read it will be a complete waste of time.**** - Good book to great book zone here. You should probably read this book if you have some spare time. This book could be interesting, entertaining, or informative.***** - Outstanding book! Make time to read this book - you'll learn or be entertained or intrigued. The book might even be good enough to provide original or helpful insights into the world that we live in.REVIEW:Sunstein and Naussbaum have put together a fantastic collection of essays on the controversial and often incompletely understood topic of animal rights. This book is a must for any self-proclaimed animal rights proponents and, I think, a very informative read for anyone interested in the subject of the interaction between humans and animals. While the essays can, at times, be dense and academic (after all, there are some real intellectual heavyweights who have contributed to this book), I found most of the essays to be well worth the time and energy required to go through them.The book starts out with several essays on issues that form a theoretical or principled debate on the issue of the role and appropriateness of animal rights, often drawing on and developing philosophical arguments to support a variety of competing positions. Generally, the essays search for the existence of a foundation for 'animal rights', or, as some of the authors might argue, if one exists at all. The middle section of the book tended to focus the more practical foundations and implications of a system of animal rights, including an informative essay by David J. Wolfson and Mariann Sullivan on the restricted application of animal cruelty laws in the North American agribusiness sector. The final essays of the book tend to be theoretical prescriptive explorations, examining where animal rights developments might progress in the future.In summary, I think that this was an extremely valuable book, and definitely one that I will find myself returning to several times in the future.

If you are a thoughtful person in any way curious about animal rights - how different thinkers define and conceptualize the issue, debates within the animal rights movement, and the debate between those who favor increasing rights for animals and those that do not - this book is the best possible place to begin attempting to understand this fascinating and complex issue. With the notable exception of the absence of Tom Regan, almost everyone that has said anything important about animal rights (pro or con) in the past several decades is here. Well known scholars like Martha Nussbaum, Peter Singer, Cass Sunstein, and Catherine McKinnon share the spotlight with gems of essays by lesser known scholars like Gary Francione and Elizabeth Anderson. Maybe this book will inspire you to become vegan. Maybe it will make you realize that the idea of animals rights is something you don't fully agree with. In any event, after reading this book your thinking on these issues will be clearer. The book is a joy to read.

The writing is lofty and rather abstract. Thank you to whoever programmed in the page numbers as well as the Kindle locations.

I found this book on point but quite technical and dry. Since it's such a lively subject imbued with so much passion I expected more juice.

just ok

Very thought provoking, and some of the entries are from the world leaders of the animal rights movement. Thank you!

Good read.