Product Description
Evidence is mounting that animal abuse, frequently embedded infamilies scarred by domestic violence and child abuse and neglect,often predicts the potential for other violent acts.As earlyintervention is critical in the prevention and reduction ofaggression, this book encourages researchers and professionals torecognize animal abuse as a significant problem and a humanpublic-health issue that should be included as a curriculum topic intraining.The book is an interdisciplinary sourcebook of originalessays that examine the relations between animal maltreatment andhuman interpersonal violence, expand the scope of research in thisgrowing area, and provide practical assessment and documentationstrategies to help professionals confronting violence do their jobsbetter by attending to these connections.

This book brings together, for the first time, all of the leaders in this emerging field.They examine contemporary research and programmatic issues, encourage cross-disciplinary interactions, and describe innovative programs in the field today.The book also includes vivid first-person accounts from "survivors" whose experience included animal maltreatment among other forms of family violence. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Thorough Review of Literature
This book is very abundant in resarch and exploration of the link between animal abuse and intimate violence.Addtionally, they focus on children and pet-care programs in the latter part of the book.This portion is signifcant since these programs assist in preventing further domestic violence and animal abuse.Frank Ascione and Phil Arkow produced a very good book, and this book should be read by all within the domestic violence field, vetererians, and law enforcement officials. ... Read more

Product Description
From Genesis to Christ, the Bible testifies to God's loveand concern for animals.The same self-centeredness that led to theviolence and abuse that has marked human relations also caused theabuse and exploitation of animals.The Bible, argues the author,calls upon human beings to stop their violence and abuse of each otherand all other creatures.It promises that when they do, the sorrowand the suffering that marks life on Earth will five way to the joyand peace that God ordained at the creation of the world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

A thorough review
This book is a thorough review of animal themes within the Bible, including the Old Testament prophets' critique of animal sacrifice. "The prophets taught that God's blessings would abound only in a world where human beings rejected violence and `no longer taught war,'" Hyland writes. "But the journey toward that peaceable kingdom demanded that the sacrifice of animals stop."

Still Christian Enough
This book is one of the best explanations of scripture I have ever read.I am a Christian and yes, like the author of the library review see Pastor Hyland as struggling with Jesus sacrifical death.I still feel that her book maintains intense integrity and know that God only knows her heart.Gail Leavitt

A BREATH OF FRESH AIR
This book has given me a renewed lease on life.I will pass this book on to my two sisters who are animals lovers also. Also anyone else who will listen to me about how great this book is.This book gives the reader the TRUE insight on what GOD intended for animals and humans.I live in a co-op in Manhattan.They have been doing construction for the last two years.This of course has brought out a lot of wild mice.I caught one.She was sick.I brought her to the vet.They said she had a tumorThe specialist said this is prevelant in mice and rats, wild or domestic due to animal testing.It's now in their lineage.She died two months later.I brought her to a church across the street to have her blessed before I buried her at a friends upstate house.The priest refused to bless her saying he doesn't do that. It's only a mouse. He said he would say a prayer for me to help me with my loss.Going back to a section in the book that an animal is not as important as a human. The horrible thought process of some people and clergy in today's world. I refused his offer to bless me. It made me very angry at the Catholic Church.Was'nt a mouse one of God's creatures.I became very jaded.Over the months I caught a number of her babies.I kept them in a fishtank with food and water and a wheel and took care of them.Someone in the building found out about them. Management made me take them out. I wanted to set them free also.But not until the spring, it was too cold for them.They were never outside and might react in shock. The same friend who buried their mother brought them upstate and let them go in their barn with their horses so they would not be cold.I wanted them to run free as God intended them to be.With a running stream and food from the horses. I get so angry at the way these creatures and all animals are treated.J.R. Hyland has given me such comfort that these and all animals will one day be in the land of milk and honey with God, the way HE intended it to be. I also believe that all animals have a soul.I became a vegan not because of health reasons but for the animals. I found out about this book on the PETA website, which I'm a member.God bless J.R. Hyland

Dangerous and very deceiving.
First of all the title of this book "God's Covenant with Animals" is bad. There is no place in the Bible where God made a covenant with animals in the same way as He did with the people (Abraham). There is a place where God made a covenant with Abraram. Read Genesis 15:9-17. Abraram actually cuts the animals in half. There is no protest from God! God is actually the only one to walk between the pieces!
Second, when you read this book and truly have knowledge of the Bible and how "responsibility" (dominion) is defined by the Lord it would be rather obvious that about every reference to Bible verses is taken out of context and the meaning is bend to make it some way some how work for the benefit of Animal Advocacy.
Third, Jesus indeed drove the merchants out of the temple. This is actually mentioned in 3 places in the Bible: Mark 11:15-, John 2:13-, Luke 19:45-. In the last reference however there is no mention, not a single word of animal being sold and being driven out! So, if this would have been the sole reason, why would Luke (who was a doctor and rather precise in his recordings) not have mentioned the animal part? If this driving out at all would have been for the animals, why does Luke not mention it?
The reality is that this books makes mistakes from the beginning to the end to prove a point under the cover of a "Biblical Basis" . This book is truly like a "wolf in sheep clothes" and very dangerous for many Christians that are still learning.

However, the reality is that Christians do have a responsibility towards preserving and maintaining the whole creation. Gen 1:27-31. Abuse of anything has nothing to do with "responsibility" and everything with "irresponsibility".
Last, Prov 12:10: "A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel." Proverbs happens to be one of the few book where a single text can be taken apart and actually can stand by itself.

The goal of the writer is clear. The means to the goal are disputable. May God have mercy on the writer.

A Great Starting Point
If you're looking for a single book to answer all questions you may have on animal theology, this probably isn't it. Such a book does not exist (trust me, I've looked). However, if you're interested in a Christian perspective of animal ethics or animal mercy, J. R. Hyland gives the perfect starting point. My only other complaint is that the author uses different bible versions to back his claims, using different translations to make different arguments sound more convincing. Still, the information is valid and I recommend the book to any Christian. ... Read more

Product Description
Animal welfare issues are becoming increasingly prominent in animal prodution, for both economic and moral reasons. This book presents a clear understanding of the relationship between the welfare of major food animal species and their physiology, and the direct impact this has on meat quality. This new edition focuses on recent research and developments and also looks into welfare in aquaculture. ... Read more

Product Description
The book explains basic biological principles for students ofanimal housing, husbandry, management, and experimentation. The textprovides a framework and reference source for everyone involved inmoral decisions about animal usage. ... Read more

Product Description
From the first hominids who hunted wooly mammoths to today's factory farms and bio-engineering labs, The Longest Struggle tells the story of animal exploitation and the battle for animal justice. After describing the roots of animal rights in the ancient world, author Norm Phelps follows the development of animal protection through the Enlightenment, the anti-vivisection battles of the Victorian Era, and the birth of the modern animal rights movement with the publication of Peter Singer's Animal Liberation.

In a brisk, readable narrative, The Longest Struggle traces the campaigns of animal rights pioneers such as Henry Spira, Alex Hershaft, and Ingrid Newkirk, as well as leaders who have come more recently on the scene, such as Heidi Prescott, Karen Davis, and Bruce Friedrich.

Always grounding his story in its historical setting, Phelps describes the counterattack that the animal abuse industries launched in the 1990s and analyzes the controversies that have roiled the movement almost from the beginning, including "national groups vs. grass roots," "abolitionists vs. new welfareists," and activists who favor arson and intimidation vs. those who support only peaceful, legal forms of protest. The Longest Struggle concludes with an overview of current campaigns and tactics, and an assessment of the state of the movement as we enter a new century, including the threat represented by an overzealous "war on terror".

Thoroughly researched and annotated, The Longest Struggle reflects the author's two decades as an animal rights activist and his access to movement leaders who have shared with him their personal stories of campaigns that made animal rights history. At once an accessible history of animal protection thought and a revealing narrative of campaigns for animal rights, The Longest Struggle is must read material for everyone who wants to understand the most radical social justice movement of our time. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Amazing writer!
I think I have read pretty much all the animal rights/vegetarian history published so far (e.g. Ryder, Animal Revolution; Spencer, Heretics' Feast; Stuart, Bloodless Revolution), and would rate The Longest Struggle as one of the best. Phelps is an original and thoughtful thinker, and a fantastic writer.

The Challenge of Animal Activism
The Longest Struggle by Norm Phelps is dedicated to "the millions of animal advocates and caregivers around the world who labor in anonymity to relieve the suffering of the most defenseless of those who live at the mercy of our merciless societies."

Invoking Ralph Ellison's aphorism of racism - "I am an invisible man . . . I am invisible, understand, because people simply refuse to see me" - The Longest Struggle traces through history the evil of "invisibility" as it applies to animals: "we do not see the animals as they are: sensitive, intelligent, living beings who suffer and die at our hands with no hope of relief." Yet the challenge of animal activism - books written, organizations formed, arguments made, protests held, rescues undertaken, jail time served - is precisely to bring hope of relief and, beyond just hope of relief, Relief.

The Longest Struggle presents the historical struggle for animal protection and liberation through stages that are vividly evoked, starting with a philosophical or theological position held by a cluster of ancient thinkers - Pythagoras, Buddha, Hosea, and others - and moving towards a social consensus that "enforces compliance by custom and law." Western societies are now more or less in the consensus stage, though in most of the world, including ours, animals are as invisible - serving as mere reflectors of human appetites, desires and fears - as ever. Yet there is progress, despite the long, long road to go.

To help clarify the nature of the struggle, Phelps explains the difference between animal welfare and animal rights. Welfare advocates are concerned with our treatment of animals, whereas Rights advocates are concerned with our use of animals. Animal Welfare regards humans as superior to other animals and does not challenge our right to exploit animals, as long as we enslave, mutilate, and murder them "humanely." By contrast, Animal Rights/Liberation "challenges our right to use animals at all, arguing that animal exploitation is unjust and oppressive in the same way and for the same reasons that human exploitation is unjust and oppressive." Animal Rights/Liberation tends to reject the hierarchical model of human superiority and entitlement in favor of an egalitarian perspective. "Welfare," if accepted, is regarded as a means towards achieving animal liberation, an interim compromise, never the ultimate goal or solution.

Phelps, an ethical vegan, supports advancing animals' rights through a combination of incremental welfare reforms to reduce animal suffering in the here and now, such as banning cages in favor of cage-free confinement of hens used for egg production ("Cage free isn't cruelty free. But it is a lot better."), and abolitionist approaches, like banning outright the production of foie gras, in which ducks and geese are forcibly tube fed to fatten their livers to a diseased condition for gourmet appetizers.

Aspects of the conservative approach favored by Phelps, who condemns the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) and Stop Huntington Animal Cruelty (SHAC) - named for targeting the stockholders and employees of the notorious vivisection laboratory, Huntington Life Sciences - are debatable considering, for instance, that the violence of what he calls "a tiny, if very noisy, minority of animal activists" targets inanimate property and includes shame tactics like protesting at the homes of animal abusers, not physically assaulting them, whereas the conservative approach often encourages "humane" animal product consumerism, thereby creating whole new markets for animal products derived from, and concealing, pure violence.

If, as Phelps charges, SHAC and the ALF "are giving the animals' enemies a weapon with which to destroy the entire animal rights movement [government surveillance, arrests, imprisonment, `terrorist' accusations]," it may be argued as well that encouraging the public to support "humanely-raised" animal products, courting chefs who cook animals and restaurants that serve them battered, seasoned, whipped, baked, breaded and fried, subverts the effort to promote the dignity and visibility of animals, furthering the state of denial and prolonging the longest struggle.

In a letter to the Dalai Lama, in 2007, Phelps, who met with the Dalai Lama in 1998 to discuss a vegetarian diet as a Buddhist practice, expressed his deep disappointment in the Tibetan monk's relentless consumption of animal products at public events - braised calf's cheek, veal roast, stuffed pheasant breast, chicken soup, and other gluttonies - indeed, his refusal of vegetarian meals when they were offered to him. Phelps concludes his sorrowful and exasperated letter, "I am not going to ask you to change your behavior. I've been there, done that. We have a saying in America that `Anybody can talk the talk. What matters is do you walk the walk.' You can talk the talk with the best of them. But after twenty years, I can no longer pretend that everything is fine while I wait for you to walk the walk."

Karen Davis, PhD, President
United Poultry Concerns
Dedicated to the compassionate and respectful treatment of chickens and other domestic fowl. www.upc-online.org

So good I've read it twice already
Laying the groundwork for this penetrating and thoroughly engaging survey of animal advocacy, Norm Phelps begins with the dawn of civilization, when humans began to enslave animals for food, clothing, sport and sacrifice. We witness millennia of profound abuse before any real advance is made in the interest of animals, though a few early voices of reason appear -- Jesus, for example, may have been history's first animal liberator.

The author brings his considerable experience as an activist and writer to bear here, introducing the reader to some of the movement's most fascinating activists and the campaigns they pioneered. His examination of campaign strategies includes those that did not fare so well -- and why. Phelps, who also wrote the excellent The Great Compassion: Buddhism and Animal Rights, has created a true page-turner here; indeed, I re-read the book again a month after reading it, just to absorb it all.

"The Longest Struggle" is a lively account of the evolution of animal protection, revealing how the movement has grown from the ideas of a few ancient philosophers to become one of the most influential forces of modern society. If you're looking for a comprehensive discussion of animal advocacy -- including its origins, strategies and controversies -- look no further.

~Mark Hawthorne, author of Striking at the Roots: A Practical Guide to Animal Activism
... Read more

Product Description
The use of animals in research adheres to scientific and ethical principles that promote humane care and practice. Scientific advances in our understanding of animal physiology and behavior often require theories to be revised and standards of practice to be updated to improve laboratory animal welfare.

Recognition and Alleviation of Pain in Laboratory Animals, the second of two reports revising the 1992 publication Recognition and Alleviation of Pain and Distress in Laboratory Animals from the Institute for Laboratory Animal Research (ILAR), focuses on pain experienced by animals used in research. This book aims to educate laboratory animal veterinarians; students, researchers and investigators; Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee members; and animal care staff and animal welfare officers on the current scientific and ethical issues associated with pain in laboratory animals. It evaluates pertinent scientific literature to generate practical and pragmatic guidelines for recognizing and alleviating pain in laboratory animals, focusing specifically on the following areas: physiology of pain in commonly used laboratory species; pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic principles to control pain; identification of humane endpoints; and principles for minimizing pain associated with experimental procedures. Finally, the report identifies areas in which further scientific investigation is needed to improve laboratory animal welfare.
... Read more

Product Description

InBeyond Animal Rights, Josephine Donovan and Carol J. Adams introduced feminist "ethic of care" theory into philosophical discussions of the treatment of animals. In this new volume, seven essays fromBeyond Animal Rights are joined by nine new articles-most of which were written in response to that book-and a new introduction that situates feminist animal care theory within feminist theory and the larger debate over animal rights. Contributors critique theorists' reliance on natural rights doctrine and utilitarianism, which, they suggest, have a masculine bias. They argue for ethical attentiveness and sympathy in our relationships with animals and propose a link between the continuing subjugation of women and the human domination of nature. Beginning with the earliest articulation of the idea in the mid-1980s and continuing to the theory's most recent revisions, this volume presents the most complete portrait of the evolution of the feminist-care tradition., reviewing a previous edition or volume

Product Description
There has been a recent explosion of active concern in matters of animal welfare. The science behind animal welfare has progressed significantly, new codes of practice and legislation have come into to being, and innovative methods to assess welfare schemes for food production have emerged.

Part of a major animal welfare series, Animal Welfare: Limping Towards Eden is John Webster’s new and groundbreaking work on animal welfare. Building on his first book, the highly acclaimed Animal Welfare: A Cool Eye Towards Eden, it not only critically reviews areas of development, but looks to how animal welfare can be improved in the future.

Special consideration is given to:

• Defining animal welfare (‘fit and happy’) and establishing a systematic approach for its evaluation (the ‘five freedoms’);
• Providing a sound ethical framework that affords proper respect to animals within the broader context of our duties as citizens to the welfare of society;
• Developing comprehensive, robust protocols for assessing animal welfare and the provisions that constitute good husbandry;
• Introducing an education policy that will increase human awareness of animal welfare problems and promote action to reduce suffering.

This book is part of the UFAW/Wiley-Blackwell Animal Welfare Book Series.  This major series of books produced in collaboration between UFAW (The Universities Federation for Animal Welfare), and Wiley-Blackwell provides an authoritative source of information on worldwide developments, current thinking and best practice in the field of animal welfare science and technology. For details of all of the titles in the series see www.wiley.com/go/ufaw.

Product Description
Many commentators and users of the Bible have, over the centuries and up to the present day, used the Bible to argue that animals have no rights, that they were put on this earth for our use, and that we have no obligations to them.

In his cogent, honest, and fully researched and referenced work, The Dominion of Love, Norm Phelps attempts to encourage all who revere the Bible as holy scripture to open their hearts to the suffering that we inflict upon our nonhuman neighbors. He shows that the right of animals not to be imprisoned, d, and killed for our benefit flows naturally from the Bible’s message of love and compassion and argues that this is the message of the Bible’s most important passages dealing with our relationship to animals. He further responds to the defenses of animal exploitation that are often made based on the Bible.

Beautifully written, The Dominion of Love is an essential addition to a growing body of literature that argues for a compassionate and non-exploitative reading of Holy Scripture.

"Phelps' book is a of close reading. It is sure to convince even the most conservative Christians that we still have much to learn from the Bible about compassion and stewardship. And animal rights advocates will discover that the Bible has been on the cutting edge of this movement all along." -Steven Webb, author, Good Eating

"After decades of neglect, churches are beginning to take the issue of justice to animals seriously. Many books have influenced this change, and The Dominion of Love is an insightful, judicious and inspiring contribution to this growing library." - The Rev. Dr. Andrew Linzey, Oxford University; author, Animal Theology ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

worth the read
Great book.I found the discussion concerning improper translations of languages has led to misunderstanding and mistaken interpretations to be very fascinating. This doesn't just apply to scriptures on animals but to other aspects.I also appreciated learning about the culture of ancient peoples.It reinforced what I had already knew to be true in my heart but was afraid to express.

Even as a Hen Gathers Her Chicks Under Her Wings
The Dominion of Love:
Animal Rights According to the Bible

By Norm Phelps
Lantern Books
www.lanternbooks.com

Review by Karen Davis, PhD, President of United Poultry Concerns

Is there any basis for animal rights in the Bible? In The Dominion of Love, Norm Phelps, the spiritual outreach director of The Fund for Animals, responds with this question: is there any basis in Hebrew and Christian scripture for human rights? His answer is yes and no. The concept of "human rights" does not actually appear in the Western religious tradition. Human Rights is a product of 18th century Enlightenment philosophy, an idea that to this day is rejected by many governments throughout the world. Rights is an "implementing mechanism," says Phelps, created to enforce the ethical teachings of love and compassion expressed by the Golden Rule-teachings that "individual conscience" has failed to implement. Now in the West, he says, we are living in the early years of an Enlightenment for the Animals. Where does the Bible fit in?

Our culture is imbued with its teachings, everything from an eye for an eye to love your enemies to love your neighbor as yourself. Phelps focuses on the concept of loving your neighbor to urge that we enlarge our understanding of who our neighbor is to include our nonhuman animal brothers and sisters. Even if the Bible does not explicitly include chickens and cows in the ancient notion of one's neighbor, there is enough in the substance of biblical teachings and scattered passages to invite such a reading and the implementation of this reading into our daily lives and protective laws. Does not Matthew 23:37 cite the mother hen as an example of protective love where it says "How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings"?

Does the Bible support animal sacrifice and meateating? Yes in some parts, and with equal relish, here and there, it supports human slavery, rape, ethnic cleansing and other barbarisms we no longer countenance. "When we read in the Bible stories of God commanding or condoning the killing of animals," says Phelps, "we should remember these tales of barbarities that God is accused of ordering against human beings. . . . Why should Biblical verses that show divine approval of animal abuse set an everlasting precedent while passages showing divine approval of the murder of men, women, and children do not?"

Phelps concedes that his approach to the Bible involves picking and choosing-to an extent. But he legitimately argues that he is picking and choosing biblical passages that support the Bible's fundamental ethical call to love God, love Creation, love your Neighbor, and Be Merciful. A stumbling block is what he calls the "aristocracy theory" of creation, the idea that "man" alone is made in the image of God and is thus entitled to "reduce the rest of the earth's population to serfdom."

But even if one nurses an exalted view of humankind, to whom an All Powerful has ironically granted a host of "concessions," it doesn't follow that post-Flood morality need be one's own endpoint on Earth and a license for savagery. Rather, says Phelps, if we love creation, "we will nurture it, comfort it, care for it." The "dominion" he sees as alone hopeful consists in a conscious decision "to love God concretely by protecting and nurturing" all of our neighbors. If Judaism and Christianity do not encourage spiritual growth and a widening of human moral sympathies and obligations beyond the obscurations of history and self-centeredness, including animals "in the fullest unfolding of morality," what good do they bring?

The Dominion of Love includes valuable Appendices that identify specific biblical verses relating to the Human Treatment of Animals arranged under convenient subheadings, and Suggestions for Further Reading. These likewise are subdivided for easy follow-up together with a bibliography and highlight of books of related interest from Lantern Books.


Review by Karen Davis, PhD, President of United Poultry Concerns (www.upc-online.org)

Finally a good book about animal rights and the Bible
This book explained what I had always thought and felt but not heard in the churches or religion class.It explained in solid descriptions that compassion and love are rooted in the the Scriptures - and that is what vegetarians/vegans practice.It created common ground explaining that vegetarianism/veganism is based on teachings in the Bible. It was very easy to read - clear and concise.

Sophisticated yet accesible
The "according to the Bible" in the subtitle made me fear that this was going to be another boring Bible study, or a pile of Bible quotes, but oh no - the book turned out to be a gem. Theologically sophisticated, yet always accesible, the book argues for ascribing rights to animals -- including the right not to be killed and eaten -- based on the primacy of love, or the dominion of love, which according to the author should be our overriding ethical and theological principle, one that is grounded in the Bible, "God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him." (1 Joh 4:16).
I think many readers will be surprised, as I was, by how stong a case the author manages to make for animal rights, basing himself on the Bible.
The author's prose is excellent.
Pelle Strindlund, Sweden ... Read more

Product Description
Cruelty to Animals and Interpersonal Violenceedited by Randall Lockwood and Frank R. Ascione

The landscapes of violence have become too familiar, too close to home. Despite decades of scientific research, we are only beginning to understand the roots of violence that connect child maltreatment, spouse and partner abuse, and aggression in our neighborhoods and communities.

Cruelty to animals is often part of these landscapes of violence-at times, a strong link to destructive interpersonal relationships. Research on this link has recently received increased attention. However, the layperson, student, and professional interested in this link often face the daunting task of locating the critical references in this area of inquiry.

Cruelty to Animals and Interpersonal Violence presents in one volume historical, philosophical, and research sources that explore the maltreatment of animals and the ways people hurt each other. Diverse disciplines are represented among the readings, including psychology and psychiatry, criminology, social work, veterinary science, and anthropology. A bibliography of related books and articles is provided for readers who wish to pursue this topic in greater detail. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Incredable amount of information.
If you are a social worker, psychologist, or work in criminology, this is the book for you.Loaded with facts, statisitcs, and much more on animal abuse and the connection to human violence.Includes the human animal bond and research from many case studies.

If you need proof in court; say for a domestic dispute, YOU NEED THIS BOOK!

The ultimate violence intervention/prevention reference book
The ultimate reference book for anyone concerned about the all too common acts of deadly violence committed by youth.Recent reports claim that both Colorado shooters had a history of animal cruelty.Animal cruelty is oftena precurser to other acts of violence including child, spouse or partnerand elder abuse.This book gives professionals, students and concernedcitizens an understanding of that connectedness and emphasizes the need fora hoslistic approach to violence prevention.

This book is the idealgraduation gift for anyone earning degrees in psychology, criminology,social work, education, or anthropology. It is a must read for veterinaryand medical school graduates.The perfect end-of-the-year teacherappreciation gift is Cruelty to Animals and Interpersonal Violence Readingsin Research and Application edited by Randall Loockwood and Frank R.Ascione.

This is THE definitivebook on the subject!
This is truly the definitive book on the subject of animal cruelty and human violence. Nationally renowned experts, Dr. Randall Lockwood and Dr. Frank Ascione have put together an excellent resource for anyone concernedabout violence. All the information you could ever need is finally in oneplace! Whether you are a social worker, police officer, teacher, student,researcher, concerned parent or neighbor, this book will provide you withinformation on how animal cruelty is connected to child abuse, domesticviolence, elder abuse, youth violence and even murder. Because of thisimportant book, animal cruelty is finally beginning to be recognized as aserious crime, as well as a predictor or indicator of other criminalbehavior. A MUST HAVE resource! ... Read more

Product Description
"This is an impassioned, fascinating, and in many ways startling book." --Cass Sunstein, New York Times Book Review.Rattling the Cage explains how the failure to recognize the basic legal rights of chimpanzees and bonobos in light of modern scientific findings creates a glaring contradiction in our law. In this witty, moving, persuasive, and impeccably researched argument, Wise demonstrates that the cognitive, emotional, and social capacities of these apes entitle them to freedom from imprisonment and abuse.Amazon.com Review
Steven Wise has spent his legal career in courts across the United States, championing the interests of dogs, cats, dolphins, deer, goats, sheep, African gray parrots, and American bald eagles. In Rattling the Cage, Wise--who teaches "animal rights law" at several academic institutions, including Harvard Law School--presents a thorough survey of the legal, philosophical, and religious origins of humankind's inhumanity toward citizens of the animal kingdom. Wise's devotion for animals is evident as he explains how the bigoted notion that nonhuman creatures possess mere instrumental value rather than intrinsic value has led to their worldwide enslavement for human benefit.

Rattling the Cage offers Wise's argument to secure the blessings of liberty for chimpanzees and bonobos. Despite the cognitive, emotional, social, and sexual sophistication exhibited by both species, Wise acknowledges that advocating the legal personhood of what others might consider hairy little beasts leaves him vulnerable to ridicule and marginalization as a fringe academic. He compares his struggle to that of Galileo, recognizing that anachronistic cultural and religious beliefs may disable modern judges from ruling according to correct principles just as the irrational convictions of Galileo's contemporaries forced them to cling to an Earth-centered universe that no longer existed. "Think of a Fundamentalist Protestant faced with a decision about teaching evolution in the public schools or a Roman Catholic deciding a question of abortion rights," Wise suggests, then turns the rhetoric up a notch: "Is it surprising that Nazi judges dispensed Nazi justice and that racist judges dispensed racist justice?" Wise seems certain, though, that our concept of justice eventually will evolve to the point where no chimp or bonobo will be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law--perhaps the best for which any primate can hope, at least until apes preside over courts to administer a justice of their own making. --Tim Hogan ... Read more

Customer Reviews (21)

If you care about animals, don't buy this book from Amazon
Amazon dot com kills animals by supporting the fur industry.

I liked the book, but am saddened that I bought it from a company that SELLS FUR. I am sick and sad that I ever gave Amazon a single dime. I am not the only one. Amazon execs should understand that there are many more people out here who are offended at the butchering deaths of helpless animals for ridiculous VANITY, than there are people who would actually go to amazon to buy their FUR COATS. I ask that others please reconsider buying any more products from these people until they stop selling fur, and stop sending out cookie-cutter form letters to those of us who give a damn about the lives of others. (No, it is not enough to claim that they're merely trying to "give the customer what they want even if it offends some people. Would they say that if I wanted to buy heroin? If I wanted to buy a nuclear weapon? If I wanted to buy an Indonesian House Boy??? Not good enough. Some things are so reprehensible that society demands that they NOT sell them. Although, I'm sure that if they could, they would, so long as it was profitable.)

Take the profit out of death and join me in boycotting Amazon. And tell your friends. There are hundreds of other sites that sell great books, often cheaper, that do not profit from the deaths of innocent animals.

Animals Deserve More Legal Rights!
Animals are living, breathing, feeling, living, loving, soul-filled children of God, just as much as we human animals are.

Further, Animals can (and do) speak, only we ignorant human animals are too stupid to take the time to listen.
We human animals are legends in our own minds.

Animals deserve the same love, respect, compassion, consideration, AND RIGHTS that we afford to anyone else.

Animals have souls....... eternal souls.
To think otherwise is to be ignorant, arrogant, speciesist and one other thing: Wrong.
I highly recommend the book "The Souls of Animals".

Slimy politicians dont want to give Animals Rights for three reasons:
1. Animals dont vote (Thus, for politicians who are seeking to climb the political ladder, giving Animals rights doesnt help the politicians, because no "monetary thanks"or "political support" are forthcoming...therefore, they dont care, unless they can benefit.)
2. Animals dont carry wallets (Thus, politicians dont care about them, because they dont contribute to the campaigns)
3. Politicians are human animals, and like many human animals, they only think of themselves, and they are ignorant of the fact that ALL Animals (human or otherwise) are equally important. This prejudice is called SPECIESISM. It gives us the delusion of grandeur that allows us to hype ourselves, while ignoring our spiritual siblings who walk on four legs, and who deserve just as much love, compassion, and LEGAL RIGHTS that the rest of us do.

If WE tell the politicians that they wont be getting OUR votes, or OUR campaign contributions, unless they give Animals legal rights, you will see alot more Animal friendly politicians out there, and Animals will gain manylegal rights. Try it and see.

Oh, and just one question for you......If YOUR soul was in the body of a Cat or Dog, would YOU want rights?
You better believe you most certainly would, therefore, lets give Animals the rights that they so richly deserve!


"Man has alot to learn from the higher Animals"
-Mark Twain

Rights Are Won, Not Awarded
Steven Wise's argument that animals deserve rights proportional to their intellect is heart-felt and compassionate.He compares their emancipation to the gradual emergence of equal rights for slaves and women, and the growing consensus that unborn fetuses have legal 'personhood' after viability.

However, not addressed in his argument is the fact that the above rights have been hard-fought and won only after extended legal battle.In each case, either the maligned victim or legal representation for the victim has taken the legal system to task in redefining the law to expand human rights.

Who will speak for animal rights?Without strong legal basis for such a change -- and one might cynically add 'strong financial basis' -- such rights are not likely to be conferred based on logic and compassion alone.

Wise's treatise is thought provoking and addresses an important turning point in human history, as Christian law principles become more and more incompatible with modern understanding, but it suffers from an unfortunate streak of idealism.

A step in the right direction
For as long as anyone can remember animals have been property of humans. Opinions differ as to why, ranging from god given rights of dominion, to levels of moral considerability, but the end result is generally the same, humans can own animals, and use them for any of a variety of purposes; no question. An animal, despite being a sentient being, in our current American legal system has no more rights to protect it from enslavement or bodily harm than say, a toaster, or a rock. Today we are learning more and more about our human place in the world, and in this investigation many are beginning to question our role as caretakers or rulers of other beings. Steven Wise is one such person. He questions the right of humans to deny sentient creatures legal personhood. What is it about humans, other than tradition and precedent, that fosters the continued enslavement and cruel treatment of nonhuman animals? In this book he focuses particularly on chimpanzees and bonobos, who are humans closest genetic relatives. Wise refers to a wide variety of philosophers, scientific findings, and legal precedents to make this book a compelling testament towards the legal personhood of nonhuman animals.
Wise begins this book by telling the story of Jerom, a chimpanzee who lived and died at the Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center. Jerom was intentionally infected with several strains of HIV over his time at the center. When Jerom was near death another chimpanzee, Nathan, was injected with Jerom's blood, which will likely (if it has not already happened) cause his death as well. Wise dedicated this book to Jerom, writing on the dedication page: For Jerom, a person, not a thing.
He continues on to write about a legal wall that exists in our society. It has been standing since the dawn of human laws, separating us humans from everything nonhuman, denying legal rights to anything not on our side of the wall. It is the goal of people like Wise and others of similar philosophies to demolish this wall and grant legal considerability to those nonhuman creatures deserving of such respect. He agrees that not all animals should have as full legal rights as a fully cognizant adult human, but that chimpanzees and bonobos in particular are deserving of protection from enslavement, and invasive bodily harm. He is not asking for chimps to be allowed to vote, but for the American legal system to recognize something other than human as a living being, something deserving of more rights than a toaster.
Wise discusses the history of common law, and its role in the development of our current system. Not so long ago different groups of humans were denied basic rights by this system, i.e.slaves, women, and other minorities. During the era of slavery in America it was nearly unheard of to consider a slave a human being. They had no legal rights, although it is apparent that they are indeed human beings. Darwin stated that only members of the same species are capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring, and members of different races around the world have proven that skin color has nothing to do with ones humanity. However, at the time in history the law did not recognize them, and it was up to the supporters of equality to fight within the system to attain it. Today we look back at the perpetuation of such oppression with much shame and anger. The fact that it was allowed to exist for so long fuels the indignation of the nation. Wise and those like him are hoping that someday animal enslavement will also be an unsavory relic of the past.
In the following chapters Wise supports his theories with scientific data supporting the existence of animal minds. It is impossible to prove that anything is conscious, you and I included, but science shows as closely as possible that chimpanzee and bonobo minds work in very similar ways to human brains. As nearly as we can tell they are capable of emotion, and most certainly pain and suffering. Wise uses these reasons to claim for nonhuman animals the same basic rights that we claim for humans.
Wise, despite being a lawyer, writes in a very conversational tone, inviting the reader to join him on this journey that is easily understood by non-lawyers. All of his arguments are set out in logical procession, marked with humor and some very poignant reflections. There are many strong arguments supporting this issue, but until this book appeared there had been very few resources pulling all of them together in one deeply compelling web of logic and compassion. Wise is incredibly thorough in his arguments, attacking the problem from every angle, philosophical as well as legal and scientific. Just how many different sources of opinion and fact went into the making of this book is shown somewhat by the 66 pages of citations at the end of the book. He was able to filter through ages of legal studies, as well as scientific theory to create this work, the final product being a clear and concise jewel of a book.
The issue at stake in this book is one of life and death to those concerned. It is too late for countless animals that have been forced to suffer and die in laboratories, furthering science to preserve their captors, humans. This is a tragic loss, but as long as there are authors and activists like Steven Wise, Jane Goodall, (who wrote the forward to this book) and many other dedicated individuals and groups we may live to see nonhuman animal enslavement diminished, if not eradicated. This book is setting the stage for further motions in future generations. If this generation can put holes in the wall Wise discussed early in the book, allowing some nonhuman animals to come over to our side, at least in this author's humble opinion, it is a step in the right direction.

Logical, Articulate, Compelling
The author's main goal is to effectively motivate the importance of establishing the legal "personhood" of chimpanzees and bonobos based on, among other things, their astounding genetic similarity to humans. His arguments are strong and convincing. Early on, the book guides the reader through the basics of modern and ancient legal systems. Later, many cases of chimpanzee and bonobo intelligence are meticulously documented. I learned a lot not only about animal cognition, but also about legal traditions. The possibilities for grand-scale changes are tantalizing. I predict this book will be the first rumble in an earthquake of changes to the way non-human animals are viewed by the law.

A book like this will inevitably generate controversy and harsh criticism. Back when women were considered inferior to men, there were countless opponents to granting all humans the right to vote regardless of gender. Similarly, people who enslaved African Americans spoke out against establishing human rights that would apply to all regardless of race; in fact many threatened or even physically harmed folks who took a view counter to their own. Along the same lines, there will be many cowardly individuals who feel falsely endangered by an argument that paves the way toward the introduction of basic rights for non-humans. But the revolution has begun.

Steven Wise has earned my profound respect. This is an excellent book. ... Read more

Product Description
Matt Ball and Bruce Friedrich take the plight of the world's animals seriously and have dedicated their lives to ending their suffering. The Animal Activist's Handbook argues that meaning in life is to be found, quite simply, in turning away from the futile pursuit of 'more' and focusing instead on leaving the planet a better place than you found it. The critical component of creating a better world for all is thoughtful, deliberate, and dedicated activism that takes suffering seriously. The authors build a ground-up case for reasoned, impassioned, and joyous activism that makes the most difference possible, and suggest a variety of ways to live a meaningful life through effective and efficient advocacy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (38)

Manipulated reviews?
When I saw all the 5-star reviews I was impressed. Then I looked at all 34 of the them: 21 of them were from people who this was their one and only Amazon review; 5 others were from people who had only reviewed animal rights related books; only 8 were from people who had written more than one review and who had also rated books, etc not related to animal rights.

I'm a vegan. I think Vegan Outreach (which author Matt Ball is associated with) does good advocacy. That said, I have to wonder how many of these 5-star reviewers have actually read this book or who have simply responded to a request to blanket Amazon with glowing reviews. I take it amiss if I believe that the review process is being manipulated, even if I agree with aims being promoted.

The most practical, concise, easiest reading book out there for helping farmed animals
I constantly refer back to the Animal Activist's Handbook for practical ideas on how I can better improve my own activism/dialogue with others.The book simply inspires me on so many levels, from giving me pragmatic ideas for activism, to helping me deal with my own personal frustrations as in imperfect human.Indeed, we must celebrate and be joyous about the difference we can make in the world!

I feel that the sample conversations are INCREDIBLY helpful as well.Pg 57-58 and especially pg 50-51.

I also love all the quotations and anecdotal stories.

VegNews Magazine on The Animal Activists' Handbook
Two experienced activists, Matt Ball (Vegan Outreach) and Bruce Friedrich (PETA) have co-authored The Animal Activists' Handbook, a tight, packed volume. The authors, who "present [animal] activism as a way to a meaningful life," concede "most of [their] suggestions could easily be applied to advocacy of other issues," and opine that "life has become a race to acquire more stuff and a fight against boredom." Ball and Friedrich's primary concern is animal suffering, and reason that promoting veganism is the most efficient way of reducing it. By offering practical tips and resources that they and other activists have found useful, the authors guide you through their hard-earned secrets of how to be most effective. Handbook is a useful manual, though a bit more assistance for those not yet comfortable wearing an "Ask Me Why I'm Vegetarian" t-shirt or handing out Why Vegan? booklets would have been welcome.

It kept my interest from beginning to end.
I've been following animal issues for about 7 years, and before I started this, I had the expectation it would be too introductory.But the authors are known for presenting fresh ideas on the movement, so I figured I'd give it a shot.The book starts out by laying a foundation for why animal advocacy is crucial, then moves into how to be a better advocate (no matter how good you currently are), and ends with where things are headed.I was pleasantly surprised and give my strong recommendation to anyone who wants to sharpen their skills at animal advocacy.

HIghly recommended for anyone who loves animals
This is not a book that proselyizes radical activism. It is, rather, a supportive and comforting book for all of us who love animals and want to help them. Includes chapters on The Joy of a Meaningful Life, Choosing Meaningful Action, Effective Advocacy for Animals, and is chock full of information on animal issues without being the least bit preachy--it is inspirational and practical.

I love this book and added it to recommendations on my own site, and have bought it as gifts.

Bravo to the authors. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

Prompt shipping
Shipping was prompt and condition was fair. I do not remember any mention of notes being written in the margins on the description of this book. I am quite happy with them in any case but would want to be aware beforehand.

Let's look at the words we use.
This book is eye-opening.If we call a woman a pig, are be being verbally abusive to the woman, the pig, or both?The book helps us understand the psycological roots of violence: violence and male dominance (i.e., the spiritual hunter).The author draws many correlations throughout the book.This is not a quick read for the thinking person but an excellent study in human thought, words, and actions throughout our society, relating to women.Whether or not we agree with what is written here, we will certainly give it some thought. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a book about animals and the moral life. The kinds of questions it raises are profound and consequential: Do animals have moral standing? Do human beings have moral obligations to animals? If so, how extensive and weighty are those obligations? Robert Wennberg finds it troubling that society at large seems to care more about such concerns than the Christian community does, and he invites people of faith not only to think more deeply about ethical concerns for animals but also to enter into a richer, more sensitive moral life in general.

Over the course of his thought-provoking discussion, Wennberg educates readers about some of the history of ethical concern for animals and the nature of that concern. He also invites serious reflection on the moral issues raised by the existence of animals in our world, while granting readers considerable latitude in reaching their own conclusions. Wennberg arrives at his own conclusions through careful interaction with church history, Christian theology, the Jewish and Christian Scriptures, and the best philosophical thought on the moral status of animals. Two compelling case studies — of factory farming and painful animal research are also included.

All in all, "God, Humans, and Animals" offers a complete, balanced, and convincing argument for the moral recognition of animals. Most readers will be challenged — and some may be changed — by this provocative study. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

If I could talk to the animals...
This is a book with a broad range of purposes.It goes through the long history of considerations of the way in which animals and humans have interacted.What is ethical when it comes to how we regard animals?How are we called to think about these issues?What does church history, and the scriptures (both Jewish and Christian), and the philosophical traditions of our culture have to say about the topic?

Robert Wennberg addresses each of these questions in great detail.This is both a scholarly text examining the issues in depth, as well as a persuasive document intended not simply to win the reader over to Wennberg's idea of what ethical treatment is, but rather to get the reader to think in direct ways about the issues.According to Wennberg, the conversation over ethical treatment of animals was stopped by Augustine, whose philosophical idea that only human beings were the appropriate objects of direct moral concern.

In the last generation, concern over animals has grown together with an increasing consciousness about the environment and planetary stewardship.What the parameters of this kind of stewardship is remains debatable, but at least the conversation is going in earnest.At the moment, according to Wennberg, the Christian community lags behind the secular community in its consideration of this topic.Is this because of a simplistic reading of passages from Genesis, in which God gives to humanity 'dominion' - often regarded as absolute power?

Wennberg argues that Christians should be natural leaders in this conversation, arguing for moral grounds through the doctrine of creation -- animals are part of God's design, not just accidental, and thus should be accorded honour in that recognition.They were declared 'good' in the creation story, and humanity should respect that proclamation.

Wennberg addresses such subtopics as the contrast between animal advocacy and environmentalism (which share many key points but are not simple overlapping areas of concern), objectification and subjectivity (borrowing from feminist theory ideas), philosophical ideas from Aquinas and Kant to modern thinkers, concerns in industrial farming and scientific/product testing, and particular scriptural issues.

Wennberg has a deep respect for animals and the world in which they (and we) live; he confesses in the early portion of the text that he is still in process of finding the boundaries.That animals have a right to ethical treatment is beyond question for him (putting him at odds with thinkers who see animals as 'soulless' or 'beyond moral approrpriateness'), but just what this kind of ethical treatment requires is still a matter for discussion.Does it require us all to be vegetarians?Does it permit testing for medical purposes, but not cosmetic purposes?And, an area often overlooked, what do we as moral agents do with regard to animal cruelty toward each other?When a mother bird pushes a baby bird out of the nest, what is our responsibility?When a larger animal eats a smaller one, what should we do?

This book is a wonderful guide and stimulus for thinking and discussion on such issues.Wennberg's text is interesting and clearly written, thoroughly researched and helpfully presented.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Great Book!
I was very happy with the book. It is in great shape and was delivered quickly. And it's a great book for anyone interested in getting into a career working with animals!

Working with Wildlife
A useful book for students or anyone who is thinking about careers and wants to learn about this subject. The author, Thane Maynard, is director of education at the Cincinnati Zoo, and is very knowledgable about his subject.

Working with Wildlife Charts an Exciting Career Course!
When young people begin to explore careers in the world of wildlife, this might be the best primer available.In Maynard's first step into exploring an exciting career working with wildlife, he has provided a comprehensive picture of just what that means.Through examples of researchers in Africato wildlife rehabilitators in Ohio, Maynard gives young readers a glimpseinto the diversity of opportunities out there.

Working with Wildlife is agreat addition to career guides for young people and should be on the shelfin every school library. It is exciting to read because of the numerousreal world examples of conservationists, researchers, zoo professionals,and educators and the dramatic color photographs.Maynard's writing styleis passionate and positive, generating enthusiasm for wildlife careers andencouraging readers to pursue their interests.

The book is loaded withsuggestions for further study.Maynard recommends steps a student canfollow to learn more about their interests.He has included everythingfrom additional readings and websites to colleges with wildlife programs.

No student should begin pursuing a career adventure in wildlife withoutthis wonderful guide! ... Read more

Product Description
Nonhuman animals have many of the same feelings we do. They get hurt, they suffer, they are happy, and they take care of each other. Marc Bekoff, a renowned biologist specializing in animal minds and emotions, guides readers from high school age up—including older adults who want a basic introduction to the topic—in looking at scientific research, philosophical ideas, and humane values that argue for the ethical and compassionate treatment of animals. Citing the latest scientific studies and tackling controversies with conviction, he zeroes in on the important questions, inviting reader participation with “thought experiments” and ideas for action. Among the questions considered:

   • 

Aresome species more valuable or more important than others?
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Dosome animals feel pain and suffering and not others?
   • 

Doanimals feel emotions?
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Shouldendangered animals be reintroduced to places where they originally lived?
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Shouldanimals be kept in captivity?
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Arethere alternatives to using animals for food, clothing, cosmetic testing,and dissection in the science classroom?
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Whatcan we learn by imagining what it feels like to be a dog or a cat or amouse or an ant?
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Whatcan we do to make a difference in animals’ quality of life?


Bekoff urges us not only to understand and protect animals—especially those whose help we want for our research and other human needs—but to love and respect them as our fellow beings on this planet that we all want to share in peace. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Good for the lay reader, but not for scientific background
I purchased and read this book because I enjoyed _The Emotional Lives of Animals_. I found this book to be more geared toward personal conduct and ethics. This book is not a biologist explaining animal rights from the point of view of a biologist. This book is giving the personal opinion of the biologist without using scientific support.

For someone who is looking for a book outlining animal rights and ethical dilemmas, it is a good read, though it was not what I was looking for in particular. There areheavy themes surrounding vegetarianism and related lifestyles- to give an idea of the theme of the book.

For someone who is looking for the studies that support the author's conclusions, I suggest reading _Emotional Lives of Animals_ instead. He outlines more clearly his behavioral observations in his other book rather than this one (_Animals Matter_.)

absolutely wonderful book
I wish everyone could read this book - I honestly believe it would change the world.

what we share with other creatures
What makes us similar to animals?What makes us different from animals?What makes us different from each other, especially those who do not share our emotions or thought patterns?
The author indicates that emotions are especially significant in sharing experience, and in deciding with whom we share that experience.Almost no one would choose to abuse a human being of low intellectual capacity who looks at us with a trusting smile, and almost no one would sympathize with an intellectual equal who treats such a person with cold cruelty.When we categorize other creatures who share something significant into neatly stereotyped compartments, we often find we are amazingly wrong.The author suggests that when we expand our awareness, we are often positively rewarded beyond our expectations. We can never treat animals as equals, but we can never degrade them without degrading ourselves. If we should discover creatures who are our technological and intellectual superiors, we should hope they will treat us better than we have treated other conscious creatures.
It's an interesting thesis,and it's interesting to think of the alternatives. ... Read more

Product Description
"Pain is pain, irrespective of the race, sex, or species of the victim," states William Kunstler in his foreword. This moral concern for the suffering of animals and their legal status is the basis for Gary L. Francione's profound book, which asks, Why has the law failed to protect animals from exploitation?

Francione argues that the current legal standard of animal welfare does not and cannot establish fights for animals. As long as they are viewed as property, animals will be subject to suffering for the social and economic benefit of human beings.

Exploring every facet of this heated issue, Francione discusses the history of the treatment of animals, anticruelty statutes, vivisection, the Federal Animal Welfare Act, and specific cases such as the controversial injury of anaesthetized baboons at the University of Pennsylvania. He thoroughly documents the paradoxical gap between our professed concern with humane treatment of animals and the overriding practice of abuse permitted by U.S. law. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Animals as property?
Everybody thinks animals should be treated "humanely" and humans shouldn't cause them "unnecessary" pain. So why do animals enjoy so little legal protection?

Building on Tom Regan's _The Case for Animal Rights_ (an excellent book that I reviewed over a year ago), Gary L. Francione argues that it's for a very simple reason: animals are regarded as _property_ under U.S. federal and state law, and "property" has no rights of its own.

Francione says that whenever it comes to a showdown between human wants and animal pain, humans, who _do_ have "rights" under the law, almost always win -- because the game is rigged. Set off the desires of rights-bearing humans against the suffering of rights-less nonhumans whose "welfare" is taken into account for strictly utilitarian reasons, and it's incredibly easy to make a case that such suffering is "necessary".

Francione argues his case well -- including a crucial point: he maintains that there isn't anything in current "property"-based animal law that has the effect of conferring rights on animals anyway. This point is more controversial than some readers may be aware; other writers on this subject (e.g. Gary Varner) have argued that other species _do_ have de facto "rights" under U.S. law and have had them at least since the Endangered Species Act of 1973. If they're right, Francione's argument is in need of serious shoring up if he is to show that the _absence of rights_ is the real problem for nonhuman species.

At any rate he illustrates his main point twice: once in general (using the history of animal cruelty statutes) and once specifically (using the history of animal experimentation and the effects -- or otherwise -- of the Federal Animal Protection Act). I think his arguments are pretty sound, but they're extremely important either way.

One crucial issue here is _standing_. Animals, being "property" rather than rights-bearers, don't have "standing" to bring lawsuits, and generally human beings don't have "standing" to bring suits on animals' behalf. Christopher Stone suggested in a 1972 paper ("Do Trees Have Standing?") that even such natural objects as trees should have standing so that they can be represented in court by human organizations that want to protect them. But so far there hasn't been a majority on the U.S. Supreme Court that has agreed (and in fact Stone himself has since backed off from his suggestion).

Francione does a nice job on this issue. For my money, this reform is the _single_ most important one on the animal-law list; it alone would revolutionize the movement toward humane treatment of animals (and trees, for that matter).

Now, there are several nits to be picked in the philosophical foundations on which Francione builds. This isn't really the place to pick them since Francione is explicitly refraining from mounting a full philosophical case for these foundations. But I'll mention three of them because they also affect the success of Regan's arguments.

(1) Francione argues that utilitarian, "welfarist" ethics can't protect animal welfare because that welfare can always be overruled by consequentialist considerations. But his own case (and Regan's) takes the view that rights are themselves only _prima facie_ moral claims, and therefore still subject to overruling. It is unclear where Francione (and Regan) would draw the line about having them overruled, but it does seem as though many (most? all?) of those "consequentialist" considerations coud be rephrased, brought in the back door as deontological considerations, and weighed against animal rights all over again under the new ethical regime. (And besides, both Francione and Regan admit that rights may be overruled by _some_ consequentialist considerations.) So it's not clear that rights really _would_ provide a greater degree of protection to animal welfare -- especially since, as Francione's own examples show, part of the problem is just that even the _current_ regulations against harm to animals aren't strictly enforced. Is the problem utilitarianism in general and in principle, or just that the current version of legal-welfarist utilitarianism doesn't take adequate account of animal interests?

(2) Francione (following Regan) bases the possession of rights on intrinsic worth. But it isn't just obvious, and neither one of them actually _argues_, that nonhuman animals have the _same_ intrinsic worth as human beings. Nor, for that matter, is it obvious that intrinsic worth really _is_ a sufficient ground for rights; surely there might be creatures whose existence was intrinsically worthwhile but whose survival requirements conflicted so far with our own that they couldn't be said to have any "rights" with respect to human beings. And in that case, it's not clear why, or even whether, the intrinsic worth of other species gives rise to moral claims that are binding specifically on _us_.

(3) Isn't it also possible that animal welfare lives in a sort of moral "no-man's land" in which there really _aren't_ any moral claims sufficiently well-defined to be called "rights"? Maybe, e.g., animals don't have a full moral claim against us not to mistreat them, but human beings who mistreat animals also don't have a moral claim against other humans not to interfere forcibly with such mistreatment. If something like this is even conceivable, it's not clear that consequentialism and deontologism really exhaust the alternatives.

Ah, well -- if one book could answer all our questions, it would be a very different world. At any rate Francione's book is a most worthy successor to Tom Regan's groundbreaking philosophical work and it deserves to be read by anyone interested in the humane treatment of nonhuman animals. Heck, if the opening description of the annual "pigeon shoot" in Hegins PA doesn't cause a wrenching in your gut (no matter what you think of "animal rights"), then you and I don't inhabit the same moral universe. ... Read more

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Product Description
ETERNAL TREBLINKA: Our Treatment of Animals and the Holocaust, by Charles Patterson, Ph.D., describes disturbing parallels between how the Nazis treated their victims and how modern society treats animals. The title is taken from the Yiddish writer and Nobel Laureate Isaac Bashevis Singer, himself a vegetarian: "In relation to them, all people are Nazis; for the animals it is an eternal Treblinka."

The first part of the book describes the emergence of humans as the master species and their domination of the rest of the inhabitants of the earth. The second part examines the industrialization of slaughter (of both animals and humans) that took place in modern times, while the last part of the book profiles Jewish and German animal advocates on both sides of the Holocaust.

The Foreword is by Lucy Kaplan, a former attorney for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), who is the daughter of Holocaust survivors. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (37)

Eternal Treblinka: Our Treatment of Animals and the Holocaust
Charles Patterson's Eternal Treblinka: Our Treatment of Animals and the Holocaust is a difficult book to read. The notion that our persecution of animals expedited our persecution of each other is a disturbing argument. Furthermore, Patterson's conclusion that Hitler's worldview, the concept that the strong should dominate the weak, continues to exist today is troubling. Yet, he finds faith in the growing number of animal rights advocates who reject the slaughterhouse. Patterson is to be commended for his research and courage. I am not a vegetarian but Eternal Treblinka has prompted personal introspection. As Franz Kafka states, "A book must be the ax for the frozen sea within us."

For a more complete book review please refer to my academic blog: http://www.digitalflavors.blogspot.com/

An enlightening, provacative and powerful read. . .
I just finished reading Eternal Treblinka - Our Treatment of Animals and The Holocaust by Charles Patterson. I found it incredibly enlightening with respect to human nature. Up until recently, I have held the belief that people are essentially good and will do right when given proper information and opportunity. But Patterson's book reveals a more base and far less noble side to humanity by delving into our history of brutality against other animals and one another.

Through the history of the Holocaust and our relationship with animals, Patterson addresses issues of dominance, our unwillingness to speak out against evil, and reveals our skill for "ignoring" and "rationalizing" atrocities which occur all around us. I found this quote particularly poignant:

"I was revolted and saddened at the savagery of our species. I came to realize that humankind has a very thin veneer of civility on top of millions of years of evolution that evidently genetically predisposes us to brutality and senseless savagery." - Peter Muller

I can only hope that humankind will continue to evolve and that this "thin veneer" of civility will grow into a thick, strong, compassionate, non-violent way of life as more people open their eyes and take responsibility for what we are doing to animals.

One of the people interviewed for the book expressed disillusionment because her church showed no interest in animal abuse issues. She says "I think how 130 years ago the church remained silent about the slave trade because they were only black people. Fifty years ago the church remained silent because they were only Jews. Today the church remains silent because they are only animals."

Today, we think, "how could ANYONE have stood by and said nothing during the Holocaust, or the Slave trade?" but we are ALL doing it RIGHT NOW! Just standing by, thinking: oh, well it's the food chain, or oh God gave the animals for our use, or oh, I only buy "humanely" slaughtered animals (as if there is such a thing!) or worse...we whine, "But I LIKE cheese or meat" - as though our desire for a particular flavor trumps the right of billions of animals to a life free from torture, enslavement and murder.

Someday we will hopefully see that it is all connected.The violence and lack of compassion we show towards animals returns to us in our relationship with other humans and ourselves. As Pythagoras said: "For as long as men massacre animals, they will kill each other."

Captivating and cohesive
The Eternal Treblinka is a book I find to be extremely informative and intense. I believe that this book should be read by as many readers as possible. The information can definitely impact lifestyle and raise awareness regarding the human conditon. It cohesively defines thefoundation of suffering. This book certainly summarizes how the treatment of animals and nature will rightly cause the beginning of the end of our own existence. It's an absolute must read!


Maria B.

Great thesis, but ultimately disappointing
I agree wholeheartedly with the Isaac Bashevis Singer quote at the beginning of this book, but feel that it is both the primary thesis of this book and unfortunately also its high point. After a promising first chapter, Charles Patterson throws together the results of his abundant research into a not altogether coherent whole. A long list of isolated facts, no matter how meticulously researched and established, does not an argument make.
For example, I remain unconvinced that there is a cause and effect relationship between our treatment of animals over the ages and the Holocaust: that the two are parallel tracks on our sickening recent record as a species, there is no doubt; but I would not venture beyond that point.
Also, while the testimonies provided by survivors of the Holocaust, as well as by Germans, concerning their realization that our relationship to animals is not unlike an "eternal Treblinka" are indeed inspiring, I seriously doubt that they affect more than a tiny minority of those survivors, like vegetarianism in general.
More realistic, I think, is the sad but not surprising fact that most Holocaust survivors 1) have no problem with eating meat and how it gets to their table and 2) feel entirely justified grinding another people into the dust, apparently having learned nothing from their own horrific personal experiences.

Good but slanderous
This is a very good book.My only problem with it involved a general demeaning of Christianity.The author forgets that Christians bless their food before eating it.Further, that they are called to be stewards of creation....though they have failed with Western Christianity's industrialization and glorification of scientism and produc tivity.Most ominous is the slandering of St. John Chrysostom, a giant in the Eastern, read "Asian", Orthodox Church (which, by the way, eats a vegan diet about 50% of the days of a year!) If one types "John Chrysostom anti-semitism" into one's browser there will appear a good number of sites dealing with the mistranslation that Patterson has so eagerly adopted in order to grind his anti-Christian blade.A little deeper research would have made for an evenbetter book. ... Read more

Product Description
Suffering is a state of mind that is difficult to measure and analyse in human beings and considerably more so in animals. It is related to the environment in which we live and our physical and mental states. Understanding the physiology of suffering in animals is crucial in assessing animal welfare.

Written by an expert in applied welfare aspects of physiology, this book is the first to address the physiological aspects of suffering in animals. It explores the different causes of suffering – physical discomfort, thirst and hunger, the responses in the body that lead to suffering and it offers insight into how suffering can be managed.

• The second book in a major new animal welfare series


• Draws together information that is scattered across the literature


• Written for the specialist and non-specialist alike


• Includes colour pictures

This book is part of the UFAW/Wiley-Blackwell Animal Welfare Book Series.  This major series of books produced in collaboration between UFAW (The Universities Federation for Animal Welfare), and Wiley-Blackwell provides an authoritative source of information on worldwide developments, current thinking and best practice in the field of animal welfare science and technology. For details of all of the titles in the series see www.wiley.com/go/ufaw.