Animal Rights - DeGrazia, David (, Associate Professor of Philosophy at George Washington University, Washington DC)

Issues surrounding animal rights are of huge general interest, but are almost always presented in terms of a highly emotive, polarized debate between extremists This book explores the reasoned arguments for and against animal rights of various kinds Intellectually disciplined but highly accessible Other books on the subject are either too scholarly or too polemical in their approach Specific issues, such as animal research, the keeping of animals in zoos, meat-eating, and keeping pets, are dealt with individually Do animals have moral rights? If so, what does this mean? What sorts of mental lives do animals have, and how should we understand welfare? By presenting models for understanding animals` moral status and rights, and examining their mental lives and welfare, David DeGrazia explores the implications for how we should treat animals in connection with our diet, zoos, and research. Animal Rights distinguishes itself by combining intellectual rigour with accessibility, offering a distinct moral voice with a non-polemical tone.