Peter Singer

Animal liberation

Timeo Williams

Speciesism. When you though that in the 21st century, you have done all you could as a world citizen to be non sexist, racist, bigot, ext. you know have one more thing to worry about: being speciesist. - Was what I was going to write.
However, this is perhaps an opportunity to come to terms with science, evolution and the world. 
But before I do that, 
I have to come to terms with the fact that I have been performing the act of eating in a very carnal/intuitive sense, rather than a rational activity. This led me to eat meat and other food sources without consciously considering where the food came from. I did not know the methods that were used to raise cows, pigs and hens. The enumerous studies conducted by the military in experimenting with chimpanzees. I wouldn't typically consider myself an animal rights advocate, but after reading this book, I certainly will become one. 

Veganism, or choosing to buy food from producers that treat animals ethically before death, are among the solutions Peter gives to the reader to help the animal liberation movement. Both acts are highly justified.

Maggie Delano

This book was recommended to me in order to learn more about the conditions of animals on factory farms. I had attended a Food Law conference recently and gotten a glimpse of "life on the farm," but wanted a more comprehensive overview. Based on my experiences at the Food Law conference, I had already decided to try to eat vegan more regularly, so I may have not been reading this book as critically as someone who was not already convinced on the subject of Animal Liberation. That said, I was both impressed and pleasantly surprised how rational Peter Singer's case for "Animal Equality" was (I expected it to be more radical), and how he addresses the critiques of the Animal Liberation Movement.

Peter Singer calls for "Animal Equality" in the book, and goes to great length to qualify what "equality" means. To Singer, equality means equal consideration, not equal treatment. He then points out how certain behaviors humans engage in display a lack of equal consideration for animals compared with humans, an attitude he calls "speciesism." Singer explains the consequences of speciesism, using modern research and factory farming as two examples. He calls for us to "boycott" harm to animals by becoming vegetarians to help minimize our direct impact on animal cruelty. Singer then traces the attitude of speciesism historically, from early philosophers to attitudes today. 

I found Singer's notion of equal consideration to be very compelling. Of course, not all beings should be treated exactly the same. However, the justification for the mistreatment of animals stems from the argument that animals are not worthy of the same considerations as humans. Humans are more OK with subjecting (certain) animals to factory farm conditions than they would be subjecting members of their own species to similar conditions. Singer also links the argument for equal consideration of animals to the movements of women's and civil rights: all three movements center around equal consideration, and if one supports one movement, it is hypocrisy not to support them all. 

The chapter on factory farming conditions was definitely the most challenging chapter to read. I found myself putting the book down, or considering skimming sections, but I felt that it was important not to look the other way from the very issue I was trying to learn more about. The book debunked some of the things I believed about more humane options of animal farming, but is also clear that it is not necessarily completely objectionable to ever consume animal products, just that the way these products are produced today inherently lack appropriate consideration for animal suffering. So, one might choose to be a vegan in practice, rather than necessarily a vegan on principle.

The chapter on the history of speciesism was a little uninteresting for me. Singer includes the chapter to show how entrenched speciesism is in philosophy and religion, but he then calls for a radical re-thinking of these philosophies, so I didn't find the specifics to be super relevant. The following chapter on where the Animal Liberation movement is today was encouraging, although it is clear there is still much more work to be done. 

I'm inclined to recommend the book to basically everyone. We all play a role in the speciesism portrayed in the book, and I think it is most important to be educated about the realities of animal research and factory farming so one can make the best decision about how to live one's life, with consideration for the impact of one's actions on others.

Animal liberation

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