Overview

Animal Minds, Animal Souls, Animal Rights explores the thinking of philosophers and theologians about controversies concerning animal consciousness and animal rights. The book presents Bernard Lonergan's theory about consciousness and the operations of the mind-a theory about two types of knowing and desiring: one shared by humans and animals, and the other, which depends on the activity of asking questions, possessed by humans alone. The author tests this theory against present-day research with apes, and examines religious claims, historical and current, about animals. Animal Minds, Animal Souls, Animal Rights concludes by laying a philosophical and theological foundation for a contemporary ethic in which humans are obligated to exercise intelligent stewardship and ensure the compassionate treatment of animals.

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9780761851776

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Reviews

...an excellent job in laying out the central issues involved in the debate, relating them to the long tradition of Catholic teaching on the subject. Even if one should find his personal proposal for a delicate stewardship an unsatisfactory solution, his book provides invaluable material for a thorough rational conversation about the question. In so doing he helps to move the conversation beyond its often polarized state today. -- John T. Pawlikowski, OSM, Ph.D., professor of social ethics, Catholic Theological Union, Chicago To have someone as well acquainted with biomedical research as James Parker guide us through the thought of animal rights philosophers is a great service....it is an even greater service to have his summary of a theory of consciousness and cognition that grounds our responsibility to treat animals with respect and compassion. -- Victor Lukas D.V.M., vis, diplomate, American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine, attending veterinarian, University of California Davis ...a new perspective....Parker blends his considerable expertise in philosophy, theology, and science to build a convincing model for the use of animals within a framework of responsible, caring stewardship, recognizing the obvious and unavoidable reality that all animals, human and otherwise, exist in a predatory world. Parker's multi-disciplinary framework contrasts sharply with the uni-disciplinary models from philosophy (e.g., Singer and Regan) or theology (Linzey), which demand that human beings change in ways that may simply not be possible. -- Lynn Willis, Ph.D., professor emeritus, Indiana University School of Medicine

...an excellent job in laying out the central issues involved in the debate, relating them to the long tradition of Catholic teaching on the subject. Even if one should find his personal proposal for a delicate stewardship an unsatisfactory solution, his book provides invaluable material for a thorough rational conversation about the question. In so doing he helps to move the conversation beyond its often polarized state today. -- John T. Pawlikowski, OSM, Ph.D., professor of social ethics, Catholic Theological Union, Chicago To have someone as well acquainted with biomedical research as James Parker guide us through the thought of animal rights philosophers is a great service...it is an even greater service to have his summary of a theory of consciousness and cognition that grounds our responsibility to treat animals with respect and compassion. -- Victor Lukas, D.V.M., diplomate, American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine, attending veterinarian, University of California Davis ...a new perspective...Parker blends his considerable expertise in philosophy, theology, and science to build a convincing model for the use of animals within a framework of responsible, caring stewardship, recognizing the obvious and unavoidable reality that all animals, human and otherwise, exist in a predatory world. Parker's multi-disciplinary framework contrasts sharply with the uni-disciplinary models from philosophy (e.g., Singer and Regan) or theology (Linzey), which demand that human beings change in ways that may simply not be possible. -- Lynn Willis, Ph.D., professor emeritus, Indiana University School of Medicine

a new perspective .Parker blends his considerable expertise in philosophy, theology, and science to build a convincing model for the use of animals within a framework of responsible, caring stewardship, recognizing the obvious and unavoidable reality that all animals, human and otherwise, exist in a predatory world. Parker's multi-disciplinary framework contrasts sharply with the uni-disciplinary models from philosophy (e.g., Singer and Regan) or theology (Linzey), which demand that human beings change in ways that may simply not be possible.--Lynn Willis, Ph.D.

Author Information

James V. Parker, Ph.D., retired professor of philosophy and theology, worked with biomedical scientists for seventeen years as public information officer at the Oregon National Primate Research Center. He co-authored The Animal Research War (Macmillan, 2007), and published several articles on animal rights in popular magazines and peer-reviewed journals, including Science.

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