Why Justice for Animals Is the Social Movement of Our Time

"There is no longer dispute among serious scientists that humans aren’t the only animals who have the capacity to suffer physically and mentally. Elephants, great apes, orcas, dogs, cats, and many other animals can experience depression, anxiety, and compulsive disorders. In a study first published in 2011, my colleagues and I showed how chimpanzees used in the biomedical and entertainment industries suffered from PTSD and other mental disorders—much like the psychiatric conditions I’ve documented in human torture survivors." Dr. Hope Ferdowsian, Human Rights Physician.

In "Why Justice for Animals Is the Social Movement of Our Time," recently published in Psychology Today, Dr. Ferdowsian argues that human and animal rights are not mutually exclusive. Quite the contrary, they can be mutually reinforcing because "there is common ground occupied by those working on behalf of people and animals—both because of the shared potential for suffering and because many solutions to successfully combat domination, violence, and abuse are universal."

Statistics

This blog had 1,366 visits during March, which is an average of 44.0 visits per day. A year ago, the average was 38.1.

Ten Years Gone

Here are the posts from April 2006.

Statistics

This blog had 1,157 visits during February, which is an average of 39.8 visits per day. A year ago, the average was 32.5.

Ten Years Gone

Here are the posts from March 2006.

Statistics

This blog had 969 visits during January, which is an average of 31.2 visits per day. A year ago, the average was 30.8.

Ten Years Gone

Here are the posts from February 2006.

Mylan Engel Jr and Kathie Jenni on Philosophy

Philosophy differs from many intellectual disciplines in that it is fundamentally a normative discipline. Unlike those disciplines whose primary aim is to describe various phenomena, philosophy aims to evaluate our views, attitudes, and behavior. At the societal level, philosophy seeks to identify and critically evaluate the cultural assumptions and dogmas of the day, exposing indefensible assumptions as mere prejudice. At the personal level, philosophy challenges us as individuals to assess whether our own beliefs, attitudes, and practices are justifiable, with an eye toward abandoning or revising those beliefs and practices found to be unjustifiable.

As a result, philosophical inquiry often proves profoundly valuable both for society and for the individual. Principal among philosophy's contributions to society is its power to reform: Most of the great social reform movements of the modern era have grown out of philosophical challenges to the status quo. At the personal level, philosophical self-examination helps us to live authentic, meaningful lives. By subjecting our beliefs, attitudes, and practices to critical scrutiny, we learn what our most deeply held values are—an essential first step toward acting in accordance with those values. When philosophy helps us to live our lives in conformity with our most deeply held values, it becomes a transformative experience.

(Mylan Engel Jr and Kathie Jenni, The Philosophy of Animal Rights: A Brief Introduction for Students and Teachers [New York: Lantern Books, 2010], 7 [italics in original])

Note from KBJ: I reject this conception of philosophy. To quote Peter Winch, "philosophy can no more show a man what he should attach importance to than geometry can show a man where he should stand." The purpose of philosophy is to clarify concepts. This includes showing people the implications of what they already believe.

Statistics

This blog had 1,339 visits during December, which is an average of 43.1 visits per day. A year ago, the average was 40.1.

Ten Years Gone

Here are the posts from January 2006.

Statistics

This blog had 1,647 visits during November, which is an average of 54.9 visits per day. A year ago, the average was 51.0.

Ten Years Gone

Here are the posts from December 2005.

Anniversary

This blog is 12 years old today. Here is the first post. There have been 296,367 visits, which is an average of 24,697.2 visits per year, 67.6 visits per day, and 473.3 visits per week.

Statistics

This blog had 1,417 visits during October, which is an average of 45.7 visits per day. A year ago, the average was 38.7.

Ten Years Gone

Here are the posts from November 2005.

Ten Years Gone

Here are the posts from October 2005.

Statistics

This blog had 1,024 visits during September, which is an average of 34.1 visits per day. A year ago, the average was 27.0.

Statistics

This blog had 770 visits during August, which is an average of 24.8 visits per day. A year ago, the average was 21.2.

Ten Years Gone

Here are the posts from September 2005.

Abolitionism Versus Meliorism

Here is a New York Times op-ed column, coathored by a philosopher and an historian, about animal rights.

Ten Years Gone

Here are the posts from August 2005.

Statistics

This blog had 850 visits during July, which is an average of 27.4 visits per day. A year ago, the average was 24.6.

Beliefs About Animal Rights

Forty years ago, the suggestion that nonhuman animals have moral rights—indeed, many of the same rights as human beings—would have been met with incredulous stares, if not outright ridicule. Fast forward to the present. A recent Gallup poll (conducted May 6-10, 2015) found that 32% of Americans believe that "animals deserve the exact same rights as people to be free from harm and exploitation," while only 3% of Americans feel that animals don't need much protection from harm and exploitation "since they are just animals." Other results from this Gallup poll can be found here. If you are among the growing number of Americans who think that animals deserve the same moral rights as people, you can help promote their rights by refusing to purchase products from industries that harm and exploit animals.

Note from KBJ: This post is by Mylan Engel.

Statistics

This blog had 865 visits during June, which is an average of 28.8 visits per day. A year ago, the average was 28.0.

Ten Years Gone

Here are the posts from July 2005.

Ten Years Gone

Here are the posts from June 2005.

Statistics

This blog had 1,313 visits during May, which is an average of 42.3 visits per day. A year ago, the average was 48.8.

Ten Years Gone

Here are the posts from May 2005.

Statistics

This blog had 1,572 visits during April, which is an average of 52.4 visits per day. A year ago, the average was 57.3.

Ten Years Gone

Here are the posts from April 2005.

Statistics

This blog had 1,182 visits during March, which is an average of 38.1 visits per day. A year ago, the average was 49.0.

Statistics

This blog had 910 visits during February, which is an average of 32.5 visits per day. A year ago, the average was 43.0.

Ten Years Gone

Here are the posts from March 2005.

Statistics

This blog had 955 visits during January, which is an average of 30.8 visits per day. A year ago, the average was 36.5.

Ten Years Gone

Here are the posts from February 2005.

From Today's New York Times

To the Editor:

As Mark Bittman rightly notes, California’s new farm animal welfare law presages what is coming for all farm animal industries nationally (“Hens, Unbound,” column, Jan. 1).

The tiny cages and crates that confine about 90 percent of laying hens and more than 80 percent of gestating sows are both physically and mentally tormenting for the animals involved.

Physically, the muscles and the bones of the animals atrophy from lack of use. Mentally, they go insane from boredom and stress, just as our dogs or cats would if they were kept in tiny crates or carriers for their entire lives.

There is no difference between cruelty to a pig or a dog or a hen or a cat, and so the sooner we relegate these awful devices to the dustbin of history, the better.

BRUCE G. FRIEDRICH
Washington, Jan. 1, 2015

The writer is director of advocacy and policy for Farm Sanctuary, a national farm animal protection group.

Statistics

This blog had 1,246 visits during December, which is an average of 40.1 visits per day. A year ago, the average was 56.5.

Ten Years Gone

Here are the posts from January 2005.

Statistics

This blog had 1,530 visits during November, which is an average of 51.0 visits per day. A year ago, the average was 73.6.

Ten Years Gone

Here are the posts from December 2004.

Anniversary

I started this blog 11 years ago today. It's not quite dead, because I still post statistics every month, but I no longer post anything substantive. Evidently, some people still find its posts useful.

Statistics

This blog had 1,201 visits during October, which is an average of 38.7 visits per day. A year ago, the average was 57.5.

Ten Years Gone

Here are the posts from November 2004.

Ten Years Gone

Here are the posts from October 2004.

Statistics

This blog had 812 visits during September, which is an average of 27.0 visits per day. A year ago, the average was 44.9.

Statistics

This blog had 660 visits during August, which is an average of 21.2 visits per day. A year ago, the average was 27.9.

Ten Years Gone

Here are the posts from September 2004.

Ten Years Gone

Here are the posts from August 2004.

Statistics

This blog had 763 visits during July, which is an average of 24.6 visits per day. A year ago, the average was 34.5.

Statistics

This blog had 842 visits during June, which is an average of 28.0 visits per day. A year ago, the average was 46.8.

Ten Years Gone

Here are the posts from July 2004.

From Today's New York Times

To the Editor:

Once again people associated with the animal rights group PETA (letter, June 19) have tried to disparage the commitment circuses have for animal care and conservation. Despite the claims made in the letter, circuses like Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey are dedicated to providing the very best of care for all our animals, especially the Asian elephant. Rather than adopt stringent United States animal care standards, which Ringling Bros. fully supports, officials in Mexico City unnecessarily banned circuses with animals.

In the United States, 10 million fans a year see a Ringling Bros. performance, and their No. 1 reason for coming is our animals. Rather than rely on PETA’s rhetoric, circus fans should come and see for themselves how all our animals are thriving at the Greatest Show on Earth.

STEPHEN PAYNE
Vienna, Va., June 19, 2014

The writer is vice president, corporate communications, for Feld Entertainment, parent company of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey.

From Today's New York Times

To the Editor:

Re “Worry Under the Big Top as Mexico City Moves to Ban Circus Animals” (news article, June 15):

Mexico City joins the growing list of cities that have banned the exploitation of animals in circuses. Several countries, including Austria, Bolivia, Colombia, Greece, Peru, Britain and Paraguay, have already imposed or approved bans. Why is the United States lagging so far behind?

Our elected officials must recognize that beating elephants with bullhooks—heavy batons with a sharp metal hook on the end that can tear elephants’ skin—and whipping tigers until they cringe and cower, are ethically indefensible.

When not performing, animals spend most of their lives caged or chained in tractor-trailers and railroad boxcars while traveling from city to city. They have none of what makes their lives worth living: roaming freely, controlling territory, socializing and simple autonomy.

The trend is undeniable: The days of hauling and hurting animals in the name of entertainment are quickly coming to an end.

JENNIFER O’CONNOR
Staff Writer, PETA Foundation
Norfolk, Va., June 16, 2014

Ten Years Gone

Here are the posts from June 2004.

Statistics

This blog had 1,513 visits during May, which is an average of 48.8 visits per day. A year ago, the average was 66.4.

Statistics

This blog had 1,721 visits during April, which is an average of 57.3 visits per day. A year ago, the average was 78.8.

Ten Years Gone

Here are the posts from May 2004.

Statistics

This blog had 1,520 visits during March, which is an average of 49.0 visits per day. A year ago, the average was 66.0.

Ten Years Gone

Here are the posts from April 2004.

"They Die Piece by Piece"

Here.

From Today's New York Times

To the Editor:

Re “They’re Going to Wish They All Could Be California Hens” (front page, March 4):

While the conditions in California’s colony cages are certainly better than those of the barren battery cages used for 90 percent of egg-laying hens in this country, they still involve cramming 60 animals into a wire cage, each bird with just 116 square inches in which to live her entire life

At Farm Sanctuary, we spend our lives with hens, and we can attest that chickens are individuals with needs and personalities, just like the dogs and cats most readers will know a bit better. It is no more acceptable to confine 60 hens for their entire lives in a cage that you report is “about the size of a Ford F-150 pickup truck’s flatbed” than it would be to treat 60 cats similarly.

Compassionate consumers can take a stand against this cruelty by choosing vegan options.

BRUCE FRIEDRICH
Senior Policy Director
Farm Sanctuary
Washington, March 4, 2014

To the Editor:

The humane laws for hens in California that provide them more space in which to live should be countrywide. Chickens deserve to live humanely. That’s the least farmers can do.

People seem to lose sight of the fact that these are sentient animals, not food machines! The same goes for pigs and cattle that are exploited and forced to live in substandard conditions.

Congratulations to California for being so compassionate and leading the way.

ELAINE SLOAN
New York, March 4, 2014

Ten Years Gone

Here are the posts from March 2004.

Statistics

This blog had 1,204 visits during February, which is an average of 43.0 visits per day. A year ago, the average was 78.4.

Statistics

This blog had 1,134 visits during January, which is an average of 36.5 visits per day. A year ago, the average was 82.3.

Ten Years Gone

Here are the posts from February 2004.

According Animals Dignity

In this New York Times op-ed column, Frank Bruni predicts that our understanding of and concern for animals is only going to grow as scientific advances help us to understand the rich psychological and emotional lives of animals. Tom Regan was right: Many of the animals we routinely exploit are experiencing subjects of a life just like us.

Lions

Statistics

This blog had 1,754 visits during December, which is an average of 56.5 visits per day. A year ago, the average was 81.7.

Ten Years Gone

Here are the posts from January 2004.

Henry S. Salt (1851-1939) on the Golden Rule

How, then, shall we sum up in a sentence the principle of our duties to the lower animals? I do not know that it can be better done than in the words of George Nicholson, one of those early pioneers to the influence of whose writings, though now almost forgotten, the cause of humaneness owes so much. "In our conduct to animals," he wrote, "one plain rule may determine what form it ought to take, and prove an effectual guard against an improper treatment of them—a rule universally admitted as a foundation of moral rectitude: Treat the animal in such a manner as you would willingly be treated, were you such an animal." In our dealings with the non-human as with the human race, it is not "charity," or "self-sacrifice," or "mercy" that is required, but simple justice—an insistence on our own duties as on those of our neighbors, a recognition of our neighbors' rights as of our own.

(Henry S. Salt, "The Rights of Animals," International Journal of Ethics 10 [January 1900]: 206-22, at 222 [italics in original; footnote omitted])

Ten Years Gone

Here are the posts from December 2003.

Statistics

This blog had 2,210 visits during November, which is an average of 73.6 visits per day. A year ago, the average was 93.2.

Ten Years Gone

I began this blog 10 years ago today. The time has gone fast. Although I rarely post anything substantive, I did so for many years, so the blog still serves a useful purpose. Here are the posts from November 2003. On the first day of each month, from now on, I will link to the posts for that month 10 years earlier. I hope you enjoy the flashback.

Henry S. Salt (1851-1939) on Animal Rights

Nor is it true that the worth of an animal's life, any more than of a man's, can be measured simply by the amount of "agreeable sensation," a fallacy often put forward by those who cage animals in menageries, on the plea that they are there well tended and saved from the struggle for existence. To live one's own natural life, to realize one's self, is the true moral purpose of man and animal equally, and the wrong done by the unnecessary cramping and thwarting of animal individuality, as in the turning of an active intelligent being into a prisoner or pet, cannot really be compensated by the gift of any material "comforts." Compare the life of the wild bison with that of the stall-fed ox, or that of the sheepdog with the pampered pug, and the moral can hardly be overlooked. An animal has his proper work to do in the world, his own life to live, as surely as a man; and those who scoff at this idea, and deny individuality to animals, should remember that there was a time, under the Greek and Roman civilization, when it was held to be doubtful whether a slave, in like manner, had any claim to be regarded as a person.

(Henry S. Salt, "The Rights of Animals," International Journal of Ethics 10 [January 1900]: 206-22, at 209 [italics in original])

Statistics

This blog had 1,785 visits during October, which is an average of 57.5 visits per day. A year ago, the average was 89.8.

Statistics

This blog had 1,349 visits during September, which is an average of 44.9 visits per day. A year ago, the average was 79.2.

Kristof

My friend Mylan linked to an op-ed column by Nicholas D. Kristof of the New York Times. Let me make a few comments.

1. Kristof says that "SeaWorld [marine park] denies the claims [of mistreatment], which isn't surprising since it earns millions [of dollars] from orcas." This is cynicism. Kristof should address SeaWorld's argument, not question its motives. How would he like it if his readers questioned (or speculated about) his motives? (For example: Does Kristof own stock in a rival company?) Charity requires that good (or at least benign) motives be imputed to arguers. Cynicism is the imputation of bad motives. Cynicism is not argumentation; it is the evasion of argumentation.
2. Kristof writes: "The juxtaposition of the two reviews made me wonder: Some day, will our descendants be mystified by how good and decent people in the early 21st century—that's us—could have been so oblivious to the unethical treatment of animals?" Good question! I would replace "animals" with "fetuses."
3. Kristof writes, by way of apology for his "hypocrisy," that he eats meat ("albeit with misgivings") and has "no compunctions about using mousetraps." Eating meat and using mousetraps are as different (morally speaking) as night and day. Using a mousetrap can be justified by defense of self or property (though there are more humane ways of getting rid of pests). Eating meat cannot be so justified. Nobody needs to eat meat in order to survive or flourish. This shows that Kristof has not given much serious thought to the topic of the moral status of animals. He knows just enough about the topic to be dangerous (since he has a large audience).

Now you see why I don't read Kristof. Had Mylan not linked to his column, I would not have read it.

Statistics

This blog had 866 visits during August, which is an average of 27.9 visits per day. A year ago, the average was 58.1

From The New York Times

In Response to Nicholas D. Kristof's column "Can We See Our Hypocrisy to Animals?"NYTimes readers urge consistency in our treatment of and concern for animals here.

From Sunday's New York Times

Can We See Our Hypocrisy to Animals? by Nicholas D. Kristof

Statistics

This blog had 1,070 visits during July, which is an average of 34.5 visits per day. A year ago, the average was 55.5.

Veganism

Want to kill your cat? Feed him or her a vegan diet.

Statistics

This blog had 1,406 visits during June, which is an average of 46.8 visits per day. A year ago, the average was 62.6.

Vegetarianism

According to the Wall Street Journal, vegetarians live longer than meat-eaters.

Statistics

This blog had 2,060 visits during May, which is an average of 66.4 visits per day. A year ago, the average was 89.2.

Green Energy Kills

Cockroaches

Idiocy never sleeps.

Vegan Food Groups

Roscoe and Surya

Statistics

This blog had 2,364 visits during April, which is an average of 78.8 visits per day. A year ago, the average was 111.3.

Humor

Statistics

This blog had 2,049 visits during March, which is an average of 66.0 visits per day. A year ago, the average was 102.4.

Animals

According to the Guardian, the new pope (Jorge Mario Bergoglio) took his name from Saint Francis of Assisi (depicted above), who is the patron saint of animals. This would be a wonderful opportunity for the Roman Catholic Church, which has 1.2 billion adherents, to drive home the point that animals are not resources for human use but fellow denizens of the planet, with lives, a good, and a dignity of their own.

Statistics

This blog had 2,196 visits during February, which is an average of 78.4 visits per day. A year ago, the average was 104.3.

Farmers

Many viewers were moved by Dodge's Super Bowl commercial "So God Made a Farmer." This rich parody, God Made a Factory Farmer, dispels the myth of the family farm in a humorous, but accurate way. Very funny and so true!

Statistics

This blog had 2,552 visits during January, which is an average of 82.3 visits per day. A year ago, the average was 85.2.

Killing Animals

Here is an essay by law professor Gary Francione.

How to Go Vegan

Here.

The Philosophy of Animal Rights

Mylan Engel Jr and Kathie Jenni are the authors of this book. Mylan is a longtime contributor to this blog. We met in graduate school at the University of Arizona in 1983.

Statistics

This blog had 2,533 visits during December, which is an average of 81.7 visits per day. A year ago, the average was 87.5.