Millions of people live with cats,
dogs, and other pets, which they treat as
members of their families. But through
their daily behavior, people who love
those pets, and greatly care about their
welfare, help ensure short and painful
lives for millions, even billions of
animals that cannot easily be
distinguished from dogs and cats. Today,
the overwhelming percentage of animals
with whom Westerners interact are raised
for food. Countless animals endure lives
of relentless misery and die often
torturous deaths. The use of animals by
human beings, often for important human
purposes, has forced uncomfortable
questions to center stage: Should people
change their behavior? Should the law
promote animal welfare? Should animals
have legal rights? Should animals continue
to be counted as 'property'? What reforms
make sense? Cass Sunstein and Martha
Nussbaum bring together an all-star cast
of contributors to explore the legal and
political issues that underlie the
campaign for animal rights and the
opposition to it. Addressing ethical
questions about ownership, protection
against unjustified suffering, and the
ability of animals to make their own
choices free from human control, the
authors offer numerous different
perspectives on animal rights and animal
welfare. They show that whatever one's
ultimate conclusions, the relationship
between human beings and nonhuman animals
is being fundamentally rethought. This
book offers a state-of-the-art treatment
of that rethinking.