Overview

Today, human exceptionalism is the norm. Despite occasional nods to animal welfare, we prioritize humanity, often neglecting the welfare of a vast number of beings. As a result, we use hundreds of billions of vertebrates and trillions of invertebrates every year for a variety of purposes, often unnecessarily. We also plan to use animals, AI systems, and other nonhumans at even higher levels in the future. Yet as the dominant species, humanity has a responsibility to ask: Which nonhumans matter, how much do they matter, and what do we owe them in a world reshaped by human activity and technology? In The Moral Circle, philosopher Jeff Sebo challenges us to include all potentially significant beings in our moral community, with transformative implications for our lives and societies This book explores provocative case studies such as lawsuits over captive elephants and debates over factory-farmed insects, and compels us to consider future ethical quandaries, such as whether to send microbes to new planets, and whether to create virtual worlds filled with digital minds. Taking an expansive view of human responsibility, Sebo argues that building a positive future requires the shedding of human exceptionalism and radically rethinking our place in the world.

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9781324064800

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Reviews

Albert Einstein said our task is to widen 'our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures...' Jeff Sebo would agree. But in this book Sebo shows us how complicated--and disconcerting--things get when we consider what that moral circle would include--and whether we can really justify leaving any living thing outside the boundaries of our moral concern. Elephants, pretty easy. Bugs? Plants? Plankton? You will disagree with parts of this book, but your own disagreement will leave you feeling uncomfortable, because the moral arguments are indeed strong; they challenge the self-interests that have shaped the ways we have treated--and mistreated--other beings.--Carl Safina, author of Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel and Alfie and Me: What Owls Know, What Humans Believe

"""In The Moral Circle, Jeff Sebo defends, with engaging examples and plausible arguments, a disturbing conclusion: that the expansion of the moral circle beyond our own species, for which I have argued, does not go nearly far enough. I expect this book to trigger an important debate."" -- Peter Singer, author of Animal Liberation and Animal Liberation Now ""Does what happen to an insect, a plant, or a robot, matter to them? Compelling thought experiments make The Moral Circle a fascinating read. Sebo’s conclusion that we owe a lot to a vast number and wide range of beings will surely expand readers’ empathy and compassion."" -- Barbara J. King, author of Animals' Best Friends and How Animals Grieve ""Albert Einstein said our task is to widen ‘our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures…’ Jeff Sebo would agree. But in this book Sebo shows us how complicated—and disconcerting—things get when we consider what that moral circle would include—and whether we can really justify leaving any living thing outside the boundaries of our moral concern. Elephants, pretty easy. Bugs? Plants? Plankton? You will disagree with parts of this book, but your own disagreement will leave you feeling uncomfortable, because the moral arguments are indeed strong; they challenge the self-interests that have shaped the ways we have treated—and mistreated—other beings."" -- Carl Safina, author of Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel and Alfie and Me: What Owls Know, What Humans Believe"

Albert Einstein said our task is to widen 'our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures...' Jeff Sebo would agree. But in this book Sebo shows us how complicated--and disconcerting--things get when we consider what that moral circle would include--and whether we can really justify leaving any living thing outside the boundaries of our moral concern. Elephants, pretty easy. Bugs? Plants? Plankton? You will disagree with parts of this book, but your own disagreement will leave you feeling uncomfortable, because the moral arguments are indeed strong; they challenge the self-interests that have shaped the ways we have treated--and mistreated--other beings.--Carl Safina, author of Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel and Alfie and Me: What Owls Know, What Humans Believe Does what happen to an insect, a plant, or a robot, matter to them? Compelling thought experiments make The Moral Circle a fascinating read. Sebo's conclusion that we owe a lot to a vast number and wide range of beings will surely expand readers' empathy and compassion.--Barbara J. King, author of Animals' Best Friends and How Animals Grieve In The Moral Circle, Jeff Sebo defends, with engaging examples and plausible arguments, a disturbing conclusion: that the expansion of the moral circle beyond our own species, for which I have argued, does not go nearly far enough. I expect this book to trigger an important debate.--Peter Singer, author of Animal Liberation and Animal Liberation Now

Author Information

Jeff Sebo is associate professor of environmental studies; affiliated professor of bioethics, medical ethics, philosophy, and law; director of the Center for Environmental and Animal protection; director of the Center for Mind, Ethics, and Policy; and codirector of the Wild Animal Welfare Program at New York University. He lives in Manhattan.

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