Ethos: The Practical Ethics Blog

Andy Davison, an ethics advisor for Practical Ethics and a professor of political theory at Vassar College, has a new book out on war and ideology and the United States.

Andrew Davison. 2005. Conquering Hearts and Minds: The American War Ideology in the Persian/Arabian Gulf, 1990-2003. Istanbul: Istanbul Bilgi University Press.

Available in North America through www.tulumba.com.

Here’s what the back cover has to say about it….

This book by Andrew Davison offers an exposition of the official American ideology of war in the Persian/Arabian Gulf: an ideology whose principal aims have been the manipulation and militarization of US public-political culture and the imperial reassertion of American global power.

The book shows how the official war ideology was put in place by successive American presidents in order to justify the wars in Kuwait, Afghanistan, Iraq, and against the Al Qaeda Islamist movement more generally.

It also compellingly displays how these wars, fought primarily over petroleum and political power in the Gulf, were characterized, since 1990, in terms of biblical and civilizational significance that mobilized the militarized support of the American public but distorted the contexts and stakes of the conflict in which the US remains violently involved.

Two especially distinguishing qualities of this analysis are, first, that it draws our attention to the pervasive nonsecular character of Presidential rhetoric in the United States; and, second, that it demonstrates the continuity of militant, religious Presidential rhetoric across the spectrum of the American administrations for over two decades, despite the appearance of sharp antagonisms between Democrats and Republicans.

Written for a broad audience, Conquering Hearts and Minds offers an accessible analysis for a wide variety of readers interested in the relationship between America and the Middle East, the “war on terrorism,” the troubled state of international affairs and politics, and alternatives to endless war.

“Conquering Hearts and Minds has immediate relevance to understanding what has been happening in the United States and the world and invites us to revisit and rethink not only how things might have unfolded differently but also how they may be different if we seek to move the world in the direction of much less violent and much more democratic futures.”

Taha Parla
Bogaziçi University

Andy Davison :: Dec.29.2005 :: Politics :: No Comments »

Marc Bekoff, an advisor at Practical Ethics, has a new book out! Congratulations Marc.

Here is what Publishers Weekly (Dec) has to say about it…

Animal behaviorist, ecologist and ethicist Bekoff (Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior) presents a lengthy compilation of scientific papers and articles from journals like Scientific American on a range of subjects that, remarkably, coheres into a fascinating “big-picture view of animals, culture, and society.” Bekoff’s writings focus primarily on the science of cognitive ethology, on what animals think, feel and know and most of the articles study the behavior of dogs; one of the most interesting pieces looks at the sounds and smells that can trigger primary emotions, such as innate fear, in canines. Overall, this collection serves as an excellent summation of the major theme of Bekoff’s many books: “with hard work, we can make Earth a better place for all beings,” primarily because of engaging introductory essays that connect five sections on animal emotions, social behaviors and ethics. These essays not only explain his concern for how humans “redecorate” nature by using animals for their own purposes but also achieve his goal of appealing to academic and popular audiences though his “musings” on science, social responsibility and “who we are in the grand scheme of things.”

Jane Goodall says…‘Animal Passions and Beastly Virtues is a book for scientists and nonscientists alike.The writing is clear so that even complex subjects can be readily understood by the general public. Marc has the courage of his convictions and is an excellent spokesman for animals. He has learned so much from watching animals and empathizing with them, and by publishing this collection of essays, he hopes to share this knowledge with as many people as possible. I will share Animal Passions and Beastly Virtues with colleagues and friends around the world’.

The back-jacket describes the book in the following way.

‘What is it really like to be a dog? Do animals experience emotions like pleasure, joy, and grief ? Marc Bekoff’s work draws world-wide attention for its originality and its probing into what animals think about and know as well as what they feel, what physical and mental skills they use to live successfully within their social community. Bekoff’s work, whether addressed to scientists or the general public, demonstrates that investigations into animal thought, emotions, self-awareness, behavioral ecology, and conservation biology can be compassionate as well as scientifically rigorous.

In Animal Passions and Beastly Virtues, Bekoff brings together essays on his own ground-breaking research and on what scientists know about the remarkable range and flexibility of animal behavior. His fascinating and often amusing observations of dogs, wolves, coyotes, prairie dogs, elephants, and other animals playing, leaving and detecting scent-marks (”yellow snow”), solving problems, and forming friendships challenge the idea that science and the ethical treatment of animals are incompatible.

MARC BEKOFF is a Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He has published numerous books including The Smile of a Dolphin, Minding Animals, The Ten Trusts (with Jane Goodall), and the Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior. His homepage is http://literati.net/bekoff. He and Jane Goodall co-founded Ethologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, http://www.ethologicalethics.org.

The book is part of a wonderful series on Animals, Culture and Society edited by Arnold Arluke and Clinton Sanders, and published by Temple University Press. It can be purchased on the web or in bookstores across North America and Europe.

Marc Bekoff. 2005. Animal Passions and Beastly Virtues: Reflections on Redecorating Nature. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. 344 pp $26.95 paper.

William Lynn :: Dec.01.2005 :: Environmental Studies, Ethics, Human-Animal Studies :: No Comments »