What Do We Owe Other Animals?: A Debate (Little Debates about Big Questions)

Philosophers Bob Fischer and Anja Jauernig agree that human society often treats animals in indefensible ways and that all animals have moral worth; they disagree on whether that worth is equal to that of humans. In What Do We Owe Other Animals?: A Debate, Fischer and Jauernig square off over this central argument in animal ethics. Jauernig defends the view that all living beings are of equal moral worth and are owed compassion, on account of which we are also obligated to adopt a vegan diet. Fischer denies that we have an obligation to become vegans, and argues for the position that humans morally matter more than all other living creatures.

Each of the two authors each offers a clear, well-developed opening statement, a direct response to the other's statement, and then a response to the other's response. Along the way, they explore central questions, like: Is there a hierarchy of moral considerability that places humans above all other animals? What kind of obligations do we have towards other animals? If we do, how demanding can we reasonably expect these obligations to be? Do our individual consumer choices, such as the choice to purchase factory-farmed animal products, make a difference to the well-being of animals? The debate is helpfully framed by introductions and conclusions to each of the major parts and by smaller introductions to each of the sub-sections. A Foreword by Dustin Crummett sets the context for the debate within a larger discussion of sentience, moral standing, reason-guided compassion, and the larger field of animal ethics.

Key Features

Showcases the presentation and defense of two points of view on the moral worth of non-human animalsProvides frequent summaries of previously covered materialIncludes a topically-organized list of Further Readings and a Glossary of all specialized vocabulary