REVIEWS
Review in Metapsychology
“The book has several virtues that I value highly in an introductory text. Aside from the virtue of clarity mentioned above, I think it is valuable that Gruen’s introduction to animal ethics is an opinionated one. Among her conclusions: humans owe animals ethical consideration. ...Though these conclusions are at odds with the way most humans interact with animals, they are carefully reasoned and never simply polemically asserted. In my experience, having a clear position invites the reader to examine one’s reasoning more closely, and that is pedagogically important.”
—Justin Moss, Avila University
Review in November issue of CHOICE
“This volume by Gruen (Wesleyan Univ.) is probably the best available introduction to the ethics of humans' treatment of and interaction with animals, from a philosopher who believes that “animals deserve our moral attention and [that] their lives matter.” Gruen's discussions are accessible to beginning philosophy students and to general readers, but rigorous enough that advanced readers will also gain a great deal from them. The book is so readable because Gruen does not simply recapitulate the various arguments about ethics and animals. Instead, she lets those arguments and associated theories come to the fore at appropriate moments in her discussions of humans' interactions with animals. Once she sets the stage with a chapter titled “The Natural and the Normative,” she digs into the serious issues related to eating animals, experimenting with them, animals in captivity (including companion animals), and wild animals. In each case, the discussion becomes concrete with vivid, detailed depictions of actual cases. Gruen always makes her own viewpoint clear, but also is fair to those with whom she disagrees. The final chapter is a thoughtful, sensitive evaluation of various methods and tactics used by defenders of animals. Summing Up: Essential. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers.”
—W. Ouderkirk, SUNY Empire State College
Review in Our Hen House
"...Gruen's descriptions of humans' use and abuse of other animals can be heart-breaking, especially when she brings the statistics to life through stories of individuals. But it is these appalling facts that make otherwise academic debates among ethicists urgent and relevant. Gruen makes ethical arguments matter... READ MORE →
NEWS
• “Animal Studies Cross Campus to Lecture Hall” → New York Times Science, January 2, 2012
• Lori talks about Ethics and Animals on The High Bar with Warren Etheredge →
The High Bar w/Warren Etheredge & Lori Gruen from The High Bar on Vimeo.