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pattricejones's review against another edition
5.0
Essential antidote to the ungrounded theorizing of the male philosophers whose abstract idea(l)s have inhibited rather than facilitated effective animal liberation activism.
Don't be fooled by the textbook tone. While the book will work beautifully as an exceptionally engaging college textbook, Gruen is (as usual) up to something much more subtly powerful than laying out the usual arguments in terms that students can understand. She covers virtually every ethical question concerning human-animal relations, not only answering common challenges in ways that animal advocates may find helpful to model but also and most importantly including the (eco)feminist perspectives that you don't even know exist if you've been reading Singer, Reagan, and Francione. These tend, on the whole, to destabilize the false dichotomies underlying socially constructed dilemmas, thereby clearing the way for creative solutions.
Clear thinking and what Gruen calls "engaged empathy" -- that's exactly what the animal liberation movement needs right now. I feel so strongly about that that my organization (VINE Sanctuary) is going to start carrying this book in addition to those in which I've got chapters.
Don't be fooled by the textbook tone. While the book will work beautifully as an exceptionally engaging college textbook, Gruen is (as usual) up to something much more subtly powerful than laying out the usual arguments in terms that students can understand. She covers virtually every ethical question concerning human-animal relations, not only answering common challenges in ways that animal advocates may find helpful to model but also and most importantly including the (eco)feminist perspectives that you don't even know exist if you've been reading Singer, Reagan, and Francione. These tend, on the whole, to destabilize the false dichotomies underlying socially constructed dilemmas, thereby clearing the way for creative solutions.
Clear thinking and what Gruen calls "engaged empathy" -- that's exactly what the animal liberation movement needs right now. I feel so strongly about that that my organization (VINE Sanctuary) is going to start carrying this book in addition to those in which I've got chapters.
daytonm's review against another edition
4.0
This gets four stars because I've read a bunch of animal/environmental ethics and behavior this summer so the first parts about why animals matter morally and why factory farms are bad were pretty dang repetitive.
But then once she gets past the factory farm Lori Gruen hits her stride, and it's awesome. Including ecofeminist analysis offered some interesting twists on the standard Singer/Regan stuff. Part of the power of Animal Liberation is that Singer doesn't looove animals, he just feels morally moved to help them. But Gruen has her own kind of power in her clear deep, loving empathy for these creatures.
But then once she gets past the factory farm Lori Gruen hits her stride, and it's awesome. Including ecofeminist analysis offered some interesting twists on the standard Singer/Regan stuff. Part of the power of Animal Liberation is that Singer doesn't looove animals, he just feels morally moved to help them. But Gruen has her own kind of power in her clear deep, loving empathy for these creatures.
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