Animal Citizens - LSE - 7th October 2011
Alasdair Cochrane
ethics.
London School of Economics, 7th October 2011
Animal ethics has provided us with various theories which claim that
animals are the subjects of ‘moral status’. Whether it be the
utilitarianism of Peter Singer, the natural rights theory of Tom Regan,
the virtue ethics approach of Rosalind Hursthouse, or the caring ethic of
Josephine Donovan, sophisticated analyses have been presented to explain
why animals have moral worth, and to outline our moral obligations to them
as a result. However, an increasing number of scholars have begun to ask
what we owe to animals as subjects of political status – as members of and
participants in our political communities. Can, as some have suggested,
we even regard certain non-human animals as ‘citizens’? And what would
animal citizenship imply for our obligations towards them? What are the
costs and benefits of taking this political approach to the animal
question? This one-day symposium brings together academic experts writing
in this field to discuss these, and related, questions.
Confirmed Speakers
Will Kymlicka, Queens University, Ontario
Robert Garner, University of Leicester
Siobhan O’Sullivan, University of Melbourne
Steve Cooke, University of Manchester
Alasdair Cochrane, London School of Economics
Registration
Registration is free, but unfortunately spaces are restricted due to room
size. To register your interest in attending, please email Alasdair
Cochrane (A..D.Cochrane@lse.ac.uk) by 22nd August. Confirmation will be
sent shortly after.
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