Philosophy : Ethics & Moral Philosophy

How much do animals matter--morally? Can we keep considering them as second class beings, to be used merely for our benefit? Or, should we offer them some form of moral egalitarianism? Inserting itself into the passionate debate over animal rights, this fascinating, provocative work by renowned scholar Paola Cavalieri advances a radical proposal: that we extend basic human rights to the nonhuman animals we currently treat as "things.". Cavalieri first goes back in time, tracing the roots of the debate from the 1970s, then explores not only the ethical but also the scientific viewpoints, examining the debate's precedents in mainstream Western philosophy. She considers the main proposals of reform that recently have been advanced within the framework of today's prevailing ethical perspectives. Are these proposals satisfying? Cavalieri says no, claiming that it is necessary to go beyond the traditional opposition between utilitarianism and Kantianism and focus on the question of fundamental moral protection. In the case of human beings, such protection is granted within the widely shared moral doctrine of universal human rights' theory. Cavalieri argues that if we examine closely this theory, we will discover that its very logic extends to nonhuman animals as beings who are owed basic moral and legal rights and that, as a result, human rights are not human after all. more...

Price: $25.00

Modern urban life cuts us off from direct connection with the animal world yet daily the lives of millions of animals are affected by what we consume and wear and what we trade in. The use of animals for food labour and pleasure pursuits has long been justified with the assumption that unlike humans animals aren't fully sentient beings. In recent years however science has revealed an astonishing array of complex animal behaviour and scientists and policy makers now accept that the animals we make use of are indeed conscious with preferences and intentions. The implications for our culture of factory farming fast food and rainforest liquidation are staggering. In this powerful book internationally renowned experts on animal behaviour and agriculture such as Jane Goodall Tim Lang and Vandana Shiva are brought together with ethicists religious scholars international industry and regulators for the first time to debate these critical issues and tackle the profound implications of animal sentience.   The first sections discuss scientific and ethical perspectives on the consciousness emotions and mental abilities of animals. Later sections address how human activities such as science law religion farming food production trade development and education respect or ignore animals' sentience and welfare and review the options for changes in our policies our practices and our thinking. The result is nothing less than a stark and necessary look into the heart of humanity and the ethics that govern our animal powered society. more...

Price: $35.00

Applied ethics and social problems presents introductions to the three most influential moral philosophies and relates these to some of the most urgent questions in contemporary public debates about the future of welfare services. more...

Price: $35.00

Beginning with a brief biography and concluding with an appraisal of Aristotelianism today, Shields assesses the whole of Aristotle’s philosophy, revealing how his powerful conception of human nature shaped much of his thinking. more...

Price: $27.95

A distinguished international team of scholars under the editorship of Carlo Natali have collaborated to produce a systematic, chapter-by-chapter study of one of the most influential texts in the history of moral philosophy. The seventh book of Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics discusses first weakness of will and then pleasure. - ;A distinguished international team of scholars under the editorship of Carlo Natali have collaborated to produce a systematic, chapter-by-chapter study of one of the most influential texts in the history of moral philosophy. The seventh book of Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics discusses weakness of will in its first ten chapters, then turns in the last four chapters to pleasure and its relation to the supreme human good. - more...

Price: $90.00