Do Animals Have Rights?
£2.90
Balanced summary - Very few people can be dispassionate about animal rights or the things done by organisations like the Animal Liberation Front. This book is not for you if you are looking for a polemic or for startling new arguments, but it does very well exactly what it sets out to do -- it introduces and summarises the existing debate in a balanced way. I hadn t read any books on animal rights before because I have mixed feelings about medical research and such-like so I assumed they would be depressing, but I m glad I did read this book because it helped me to understand the arguments and to see where the debate currently stands. It is neither overly emotional nor dismissive of the emotional aspects of the debate, which seems to me the ideal middle ground.
Deeply disappointing - As someone who collects books on the issue of animal rights I was looking forward to seeing Alison Hills s contribution, but frankly, having read it, I can t see that it is any sort of contribution to the debate after all. Although Ms. Hills is apparently a professional philosopher, this seems like a facile effort - rushed, superficial and with no degree of detail. Ms Hills claims to present the moderate view between extreme animal rights-ism and extreme speciesism, but in doing so emasculates the book and leaves it arid, desperately dry and wholly unappealing.As I say, I collect books on animal rights/welfare which at least pretend to be impartial and open-ended in presenting the issues in as neutral a way as possible: I m not used to seeing a writer state their own opinions as baldly and flatly as this is wrong or this is probably about right . I, at least, don t want to know what the author thinks: I want to know what the issues are, what the facts are surrounding those issues, and possibly other resources where I can continue finding out about them.In short, if you want a decent book on the issues surrounding animal rights and welfare, look elsewhere. This isn t the place even to start: there are plenty of books out there immeasurably superior to this poor effort.
Highly Recommended - I have read widely on the subject of animal welfare / rights and am very aware of the emotive issues and arguments which will be stirred up by Alison Hills book.If you have very strong blinkered views and don t want to engage in any debate on the subject then this isn t a book for you. However, if you want to read an intelligent, discursive and thought provoking work then don t think twice, buy this book!Alison examines the various philosophical and moral standpoints about animal rights and welfare and follows these with tangible examples and discussions. She looks at various points of view in an ordered and logical fashion and comes to some interesting conclusions with a clear thought process, and many questions, behind each. I found myself addicted to this book as it really got me thinking and questioning why I hold the views I hold in relation to the subject. This meant that I often took a trip on my own train of though and had to re-read a couple of sections!This book has helped me to crystallise my arguments and made me explore my own views on the subject. It offered me plenty of food for thought which has stayed in my mind even after I finished reading.I would really recommend this book to anyone who is even mildly interested in the subject. Alison has a very readable style and this book will appeal to anyone from the curious layman to the expert.
Thought-provoking - Hills book explores the Animal Rights issue from a variety of angles and begins by offering a very useful overview of the status of animals in earlier centuries. I found the central chapters, which focus on the moral status of animals and the philosophical issues around the right to life, original lucid and accessible. Hills has a fresh perspective on the issue of Foxhunting. The book is especially damning of factory farming/supermarket meat and will cause many non-vegetarians to think a lot harder about where their meat is sourced. Overall I the book s greatest virtue is its clear-headedness and engaging presentation of challenging philosophical issues. I would certainly recommend it to friends interested in animal rights or ethical issues more generally.
Twaddle - This book is everything that is wrong with the debate on animal rights. Hill repeats stale and entrenched arguments from both positions and adds nothing new to the debate. Having read this book, one wonders what Hill s actual position on the question of Animals Rights really are? Do not waste your money on this book read Animal Liberation by Peter Singer and Meat Market: Animals, Ethics, And Money by Erik Marcus.