Here is a very interesting exchange about practical ethics and animal agriculture from the website, Eating Liberally. It features our contributing author Karin Lauria.
cheers, Bill
William Lynn :: Dec.27.2007 :: Animal Studies, Environmental Studies, Ethics :: Comments Off
Last Wednesday I received five emails from different people telling me about a hot new Internet movie called “The Story of Stuff.” Everyone claimed that this movie is a short, funny, easy-to-understand, and compelling look at why environmentalists need to work with other social change constituencies to fundamentally transform the world’s economic system in a more just, democratic, and sustainable direction. I showed this 20 minute film to students in my Patterns of Environmental Activism course the next day–and was amazed at the intensity of their positive responses to it. It sparked a lot of aha moments and brought so much of our work this semester into sharper focus.
This movie essentially makes a great case that it is no longer sufficient-as John Muir once suggested-that environmentalists just work hard to protect public lands from industrial or agricultural encroachment and leave the rest of our political economy unanalyzed and unchanged. That is “old school” environmental thinking and we clearly need “new school” sustainability thinking about transforming the materials economy if we are to make meaningful change in the 21st century–a change process that public interest advocates and grassroots organizers need to help drive and direct.
Interested? Please go to the “The Story of Stuff” website, where you can download the film and find additional information on the six major themes addressed in the film (extraction, production, distribution, consumption, waste disposal, and alternatives). Also, check out this article about “The Story of Stuff” by Multinational Monitor editor Robert Weissman.
I agree with Weissman that this film is a great example of using new media to provide solid political education that can reach a lot of people–besides all of us who already see ourselves as social change activists.
Steve Chase :: Dec.11.2007 :: Environmental Studies :: Comments Off
Marc Bekoff has another book out!
Marc Bekoff, 2007, Animals Matter: A Biologist Explains Why We Should Treat Animals with Compassion and Respect, Shambhala Publications.
The book description from Amazon.com is below.
‘Animal behaviorist and biologist Bekoff follows his most recent in-depth work, The Emotional Life of Animals, with another well-written, more generalist argument for responsible behavior toward animals of all kinds. A revised and updated edition of his 2000 Strolling with Our Kin, an introduction for young readers to ethical issues relating to the use of animals, the writing still feels aimed at younger readers, but the new elements include an excellent review of current debates regarding animal sentience, animal relocation efforts and medical school dissection and vivisection.
….
Nonhuman animals have many of the same feelings we do. They get hurt, they suffer, they are happy, and they take care of each other. Marc Bekoff, a renowned biologist specializing in animal minds and emotions, guides readers from high school age up-including older adults who want a basic introduction to the topic-in looking at scientific research, philosophical ideas, and humane values that argue for the ethical and compassionate treatment of animals. Citing the latest scientific studies and tackling controversies with conviction, he zeroes in on the important questions, inviting reader participation with “thought experiments” and ideas for action. Among the questions considered: Are some species more valuable or more important than others? Do some animals feel pain and suffering and not others? Do animals feel emotions? Should endangered animals be reintroduced to places where they originally lived? Should animals be kept in captivity? Are there alternatives to using animals for food, clothing, cosmetic testing, and dissection in the science classroom? What can we learn by imagining what it feels like to be a dog or a cat or a mouse or an ant? What can we do to make a difference in animals’ quality of life? Bekoff urges us not only to understand and protect animals-especially those whose help we want for our research and other human needs-but to love and respect them as our fellow beings on this planet that we all want to share in peace’.
cheers, Bill
William Lynn :: Dec.03.2007 :: Animal Studies, Environmental Studies, Ethics :: Comments Off