Overview

"Alasdair Cochrane introduces an entirely new theory of animal rights grounded in their interests as sentient beings. He then applies this theory to different and underexplored policy areas, such as genetic engineering, pet-keeping, indigenous hunting, and religious slaughter. In contrast to other proponents of animal rights, Cochrane claims that because most sentient animals are not autonomous agents, they have no intrinsic interest in liberty. As such, he argues that our obligations to animals lie in ending practices that cause their suffering and death and do not require the liberation of animals. Cochrane's ""interest-based rights approach"" weighs the interests of animals to determine which is sufficient to impose strict duties on humans. In so doing, Cochrane acknowledges that sentient animals have a clear and discernable right not to be made to suffer and not to be killed, but he argues that they do not have a prima facie right to liberty. Because most animals possess no interest in leading freely chosen lives, humans have no moral obligation to liberate them. Moving beyond theory to the practical aspects of applied ethics, this pragmatic volume provides much-needed perspective on the realities and responsibilities of the human-animal relationship."

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9780231158268

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Reviews

[This book] represents an important contribution to animal ethics literature. Cochrane argues that, since animals have an interest in avoiding death and suffering, then they ought to be accorded a right not to suffer at the hands of humans and a right to life. Cochrane is the first to base a whole account of animal rights around an interest-based theory of rights, and the first to use such a theory to deny that animals have a right to liberty. The significance of Cochrane's study lies in its conclusion: that it is not ownership per se that is the problem but what the owners of animals do to them once ownership is established. -- Dr. Robert Garner, Professor of Politics, University of Leicester

Cochrane's book represents a hugely important contribution to the animal ethics literature. This is the first sustained and comprehensive attempt to base a whole account of animal rights around an interest-based theory of rights, and the first to use such a theory to deny that animals have an intrinsic right to liberty. The significance of Cochrane's study lies in its conclusion that what is wrong with our treatment of animals lies in what we do to animals whilst we are using them and not their use per se. By 'decoupling' animal rights from animal liberation, the book challenges the, morally flawed and strategically catastrophic, perception that animal rights is synonymous with the abolition of all uses of animals. It therefore dispels, once and for all, the myth that animal rights must be about condemning all uses of animals, and that a failure to do so commits one to an acceptance of an animal welfare ethic. -- Robert Garner, University of Leicester Non-human animals may have morally relevant interests in avoiding suffering and death without also possessing comparable interests in non-interference. By drawing on this neglected insight into the specificity of animals' interests, Alisdair Cochrane's rigorous yet accessible book exposes a false dichotomy that has divided animal ethicists for decades, making a major advance in our understanding of the subject. -- Paula Casal, ICREA Professor at, Universitat Pompeu Fabra Alasdair Cochrane argues that there is a plausible theory of animal rights that allows us to continue to own and use animals. It would be an understatement to say that I disagree with Cochrane but he does a fine job presenting the argument and his book will surely provoke debate and discussion. -- Gary L. Francione, Professor, Rutgers University

This is the first sustained and comprehensive attempt to base a whole account of animal rights around an interest-based theory of rights, and the first to use such a theory to deny that animals have an intrinsic right to liberty. It dispels once and for all the myth that animal rights must be about condemning all uses of animals and that a failure to do so commits one to an acceptance of an animal welfare ethic. -- Robert Garner, University of Leicester Non-human animals may have morally relevant interests in avoiding suffering and death without also possessing comparable interests in non-interference. By drawing on this neglected insight into the specificity of animals' interests, Cochrane's rigorous yet accessible book exposes a false dichotomy that has divided animal ethicists for decades, making a major advance in our understanding of the subject. -- Paula Casal, Universitat Pompeu Fabra Alasdair Cochrane argues that there is a plausible theory of animal rights that allows us to continue to own and use animals. It would be an understatement to say that I disagree with Cochrane but he does a fine job presenting the argument and his book will surely provoke debate and discussion. -- Gary L. Francione, Rutgers University ...thoughtful and thought-provoking, making it a welcome and highly recommended addition to personal and academic library Contemporary Ethics reference collections and supplemental reading lists. Midwest Book Review October 2012

[This book] represents an important contribution to animal ethics literature. Cochrane argues that, since animals have an interest in avoiding death and suffering, then they ought to be accorded a right not to suffer at the hands of humans and a right to life. Cochrane is the first to base a whole account of animal rights around an interest-based theory of rights, and the first to use such a theory to deny that animals have a right to liberty. The significance of Cochrane's study lies in its conclusion: that it is not ownership per se that is the problem but what the owners of animals do to them once ownership is established. -- Robert Garner, Professor of Politics, University of Leicester

Author Information

Alasdair Cochrane is lecturer in political theory at The University of Sheffield and the author of An Introduction to Animals and Political Theory.

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