Animal Rights

Praise for the previous edition: ...an excellent first-stop resource for research on animal rights...well organized, clearly written, and a great starting point for research...Recommended.-Choice...comprehensive...invaluable for reports on a popular current topic.-VOYA... a] very complete research guide that will be most useful at the high school and college level.-American Reference Books AnnualThe treatment of animals has become a controversial issue over the years, with many questioning an animal's fundamental rights. For some, the issue of animal rights is merely an attempt to improve conditions of animals used for clothing, food, and other products, while others believe animals should be granted the same legal rights afforded to humans. Animal Rights, Revised Edition provides an overview of the history of the animal rights movement and reactions to it, as well as the issues of animal experimentation, conditions on factory farms, laboratory animals, animals in entertainment, hunting, and the actions of those involved in the animal rights debate. New content includes such documents as the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act of 2006 and contemporary court cases such as Animal Legal Defense Fund v. Glickman. These documents provide both past and present perspectives on the issue and plot a course for future debate about animal rights. A comprehensive and up-to-date overview essay, capsule biographies, a large annotated bibliography, a chronology of significant events, organization and agency listings, and a glossary all combine to make this an ideal first-stop reference to animal rights.Coverage includes: Whether medical testing performed on animals is ethicalWhether animals should be banned from circuses and other forms of entertainmentHow threats against investors in companies that participate in animal drug testing should be handle

Do all animals have rights? Is it morally wrong to use mice or dogs in medical research, or rabbits and cows as food? How ought we resolve conflicts between the interests of humans and those of other animals? Philosophical inquiry is essential in addressing such questions; the answers given must have enormous practical importance. Here for the first time in the same volume, the animal rights debate is argued deeply and fully by the two most articulate and influential philosophers representing the opposing camps. Each makes his case in turn to the opposing case. The arguments meet head on: Are we humans morally justified in using animals as we do? A vexed and enduring controversy here receives its deepest and most eloquent exposition.

A survey of animal rights issues addresses a variety of topics surrounding research animals, companion animals, wild animals, work animals, and animals used for food, as well as discussing the animal rights movement and its key figures and organizations.

Animals have alternately been considered pests, food, workers, test subjects, and, as is becoming increasingly common, companions. This begs the question: What rights should animals have? Through engaging text featuring annotated quotes from experts, readers learn about the changing role of animals and the ensuing changing attitudes of people toward how animals should be treated. Detailed charts, engaging sidebars, and relevant statistics provide an in-depth education regarding the history and ramifications, both legal and societal, of animal rights. Readers are also encouraged to think critically to form an opinion on the actions and tactics of different animal rights organizations.

In the past decade, philosopher Bernard Rollin points out, we have "witnessed a major revolution in social concern with animal welfare and the moral status of animals." Adopting the stance of a moderate, Harold Guither attempts to provide an unbiased examination of the paths and goals of the members of the animal rights movement and of its detractors. Given the level of confusion, suspicion, misunderstanding, and mistrust between the two sides, Guither admits the difficulty in locating, much less staying in, the middle of the road. The philosophical conflict, however, is fairly clear: those who resist reform, fearing that radical change in the treatment of animals will infringe on their business and property rights, versus the new activists who espouse a different set of moral and ethical obligations toward animals. From his position as a moderate, Guither presents a brief history of animal protection and the emergence of animal rights, describes the scope of the movement, and identifies major players such as Paul and Linda McCartney and organizations such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals that are actively involved in the movement. He concentrates on what is actually happening in the 1990s, discussing in detail the possible consequences of the current debate for those who own, use, or enjoy animals in entertainment and leisure pursuits. A reference work for students in animal sciences and veterinary medicine, the book also poses questions for philosophers, sociologists, and public policymakers as well as animal owners, animal and biomedical researchers, and manufacturers and distributors of animal equipment and supplies.

This book, written by leading academics and activists, examines the development of animal rights over the past two decades and asks where the issue goes from here. The contributions cover animal rights philosophy, strategies of the animal rights movement, the treatment of animals in specific contexts and the political arena within which animal advocates must operate. The unifying theme is provided by an emerging debate about the future direction of the animal protection movement, and, in particular, about the utility of using rights language as a means of achieving further progress.

Explores the controversy surrounding animal rights, discussing the treatment of animals throughout history; the role of important players in the debate; and the use of animals as food, in scientific research, and in education.

Examines the pros and cons of the animal rights debate