[SydPhil] FW: [HARN] HARN Public Lecture: Democracy and the Political Turn in Animal Ethics

[Dinesh Wadiwel]

Democracy and the Political Turn in Animal Ethics

Professor Robert Garner, University of Leicester

Monday 30th October
6-7.30pm
New Law Lecture Theatre 106


This lecture asks what political philosophers can contribute to the animal ethics debate. Is animal ethics the preserve of moral philosophers or does political philosophy also add something of significance to the debate about how we ought to treat animals? It is argued that there are three main political dimensions to the animal ethics debate. The first relates to questions of feasibility. The second focuses on the utility of regarding animals as beneficiaries of justice as opposed to moral status. The third emphasises the importance of incorporating animals into the democratic community. Together, these three strands constitute a new ‘political turn’ in animal ethics. This lecture will focus on the third strand.  It starts by identifying how animals are currently regarded politically. This anthropocentric, account suggests that animal interests ought to be considered within a democratic polity if and when enough humans desire this to be the case. An alternative account holds that the interests of animals ought to be taken into account because they have a democratic right that their interests are considered. It is possible to defend this non-anthropocentric account by utilising democratic theory and, in particular, the all-affected principle. This approach is favourably contrasted with an alternative, citizenship, account which relies upon contested, capacity-oriented, claims current within the field of animal ethics.  A non-anthropocentric account of democracy is clearly in the realm of ideal theory. Of greater practical importance, therefore, is the identification of ways in which the anthropocentric model can be tweaked in order to better able the protection of animals. One such reform is the greater utilisation of deliberative democracy, and the talk reports on a review of deliberative experiments involving animal issues.


Robert Garner is Professor of Politics at the University of Leicester. He has published widely on the ethics and politics of animal protection. His books include 'Animals, Politics and Morality' (Manchester University Press, 2004), 'Animal Ethics' (Polity, 2005), 'The Political Theory of Animal Rights' (Manchester University Press, 2005), 'A Theory of Justice for Animals' (Oxford University Press, 2013) and ‘The Political Turn in Animal Ethics, co-edited with Siobhan O’Sullivan (Rowman and Littlefield, 2016). He is currently working on a Leverhulme Trust-funded project on the intellectual history of animal rights.


This event is convened by the Human Animal Research Network <http://sydney.edu.au/arts/research/harn/> (HARN). Please RSVP and direct any questions to Dr Dinesh Wadiwel: dinesh.wadiwel at sydney.edu.au


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