Animal Ethics in the Wild
 | |
| Author | Catia Faria |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subjects | Animal ethics, wild animal suffering |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| Pages | 222 |
| ISBN | 978-1-00-910063-2 |
| OCLC | 1370190258 |
Animal Ethics in the Wild: Wild Animal Suffering and Intervention in Nature is a 2022 book by the philosopher Catia Faria, that examines wild animal suffering as a moral problem. She contends that if we have a moral obligation to aid those in need, we should intervene in nature to prevent or alleviate the suffering of wild animals, as long as it is practical and leads to a net positive outcome.
Summary
The book is structured into three parts: the positive case for intervening in nature, responses to objections, and the conclusion. Faria defends the moral considerability of wild animals, the equal consideration of all sentient creatures, and the immense suffering experienced by wild animals. She counters objections related to perversity, futility, undermining competing values, moral obligations based on relationships, prioritizing human well-being, and tractability.
Reception
In a review, Christopher Bobier praises the book for its engaging discussion of wild animal sentience and moral considerability. He asserts that it presents a compelling case for intervening in nature to mitigate the suffering and death experienced by wild animals and that scholars from various animal-related fields, including animal ethics, environmental ethics, ecology, conservation, and animal law, would find the book to be accessible and valuable. However, he notes that the book raises important questions about the practical implications of intervention, especially for individuals living in urban areas far removed from wilderness. Additionally, while the book does not address zoos directly, he queries whether they could serve as a means to reduce suffering for some wild animals, though ethical concerns about captivity should be explored further. Overall, he commends Faria's work for its contribution to the discourse on wild animal welfare, leaving readers with deeper insights and thought-provoking inquiries.[1]
Josh Milburn's review praises the book for providing a comprehensive and rigorous philosophical argument for the notion that humans have a moral obligation to intervene in nature to reduce wild animal suffering. Milburn highlights Faria's responses to various objections raised against this, including the perversity and futility objections, which Faria counters with the "reversal test." Additionally he draws attention to Faria's response to the jeopardy objection, which suggests that intervention could jeopardize other non-suffering-based values. The review commends Faria's adept handling of relational arguments, where she identifies tensions in certain relationalist views and how she explores the issue of priority, perfectionist challenges, and the tractability of reducing wild animal suffering. Overall, Milburn notes that Faria's book offers a detailed and thought-provoking examination of the complex ethical considerations surrounding intervention in nature to alleviate wild animal suffering.[2]
The book has received endorsments from the philosophers Kyle Johannsen, Jeff McMahan, Siobhan O’Sullivan, Clare Palmer, Valéry Giroux, Núria Almiron, Paula Casal, Alasdair Cochrane, Peter Singer and Oscar Horta.[3]
References
- ^ Bobier, Christopher (2023). "Catia Faria, "Animal Ethics in the Wild: Wild Animal Suffering and Intervention in Nature"". Philosophy in Review. 43 (2): 25–27. doi:10.7202/1100432ar. ISSN 1206-5269.
- ^ Milburn, Josh (2023). "Catia Faria, Animal Ethics in the Wild: Wild Animal Suffering and Intervention in Nature (Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2023), pp. ix + 222". Utilitas.
- ^ "Animal Ethics in the Wild". Cambridge University Press. Retrieved 2023-07-20.
