A Review of Introducing Issues with Opposing Viewpoints: Animal Rights. By Lauri S. Friedman. Greenhaven Press: Farmington Hills, MI, USA, 2010; Hardcover, 144 pp; Price: $33.58; ISBN: 978-0737749373

Lee J Markowitz

doi:10.3390/ani1030256

Abstract

Given the volatile nature of animal rights issues and the extensive array of writings on the topic, one might expect several introductory anthologies to be available. The only anthologies in print, however, are scholarly tomes (listed below) geared towards more advanced readers. Fortunately, Lauri S. Friedman, author of dozens of anthologies on controversial topics such as gun control, national security, terrorism, fast food, sexually transmitted diseases, and many other topics, fills this void well with her volume titled Introducing Issues with Opposing Viewpoints: Animal Rights. She has included articles by influential authors in a diverse range of lay outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, Slate, Guardian, Christianity Today, Food & Wine, among others. Below, I describe the contents of the book, its strengths and weaknesses, and how educators might use the book in classroom settings.

Highlights

The book is divided into three sections
The focus in two of the papers opposing animal rights is on morally relevant qualities that humans allegedly have and animals allegedly lack: advanced cognitive and emotional abilities (Saletan) or souls (Colson and Morse)
Jonathan Safran Foer argues against eating animals by focusing on the mental similarities between dogs and pigs

Summary

Introduction

The book is divided into three sections. The first section is titled “Should animals have rights?” and has four articles by authors supporting (Richard Ryder, Patrick Battuello, Josephine Donovan, and Justin Goodman) and four by authors opposing (William Saletan, Wesley Smith, Charles Colson and Anne Morse, and Michael Conn) animal rights. The focus in two of the papers opposing animal rights is on morally relevant qualities that humans allegedly have and animals allegedly lack: advanced cognitive and emotional abilities (Saletan) or souls (Colson and Morse). The other two opponents focus on potential costs of establishing rights for animals to industries using animals (Smith and Conn).

Results

Conclusion