Animal Ethics: Past and Present Perspectives

Philosophy, as Aristotle said, originates in wonder; and non-human animals have long been a source of wonder to humans. This is especially evident in the question what treatment the former deserve by the latter. Western philosophy has been concerned with the way in which we ought to treat non-human animals since its very origins in pre-Socratic philosophy. Even nowadays animal ethics continues to be a highly challenging field and one of the liveliest areas of debate within ethics. It is a controversial subject that has sparked a range of new and exciting debates, but it has also led to the renewed exploration of long-standing philosophical issues with innovative approaches.This book offers both the presentation and discussion of a range of influential past approaches to animal ethics and an equally significant range of contemporary ones. To get a full view of the complex field of animal ethics, we need to understand the philosophical legacy of the past and the resources it offers while also forging new views that consider our increasingly developed understanding of the nature of non-human animals. The volume includes contributions by celebrated philosopher Peter Singer, animal rights activist and philosopher Steven Best, and many more. The volume contains articles by George Arabatzis, Steven Best, Stephen R. L. Clark, Myrto Dragona-Monachou, Warwick Fox, Gary L. Francione, Xavier Labbee, Panagiotis Pantazakos, Filimon Peonidis, Evangelos D. Protopapadakis, Tom Regan, Mark J. Rowlands, Roger Scruton, Peter Singer, Gary Steiner, and Georgios Steiris.