Animals, Ethics, and Language: The Philosophy of Meaningful Communication in the Lives of Animals

Description

With an ever-growing body of evidence on the links between different oppressions, never have the debates in Critical Animal Studies surrounding intersectionality in relation to animal ethics been more important. In particular, the arguments related to anthropomorphic attributes of mentality to other than humans promise to provide fruitful new ground for re-assessing human-animal relations. This book maps the central debates surrounding anthropomorphism in relation to our descriptions of animals, their lives, animal mentality, and meaningful communication in the nonhuman world. Rebekah Humphreys synthesizes the work of critical animal theorists, philosophers, and cognitive ethologists, and provides a critical account of how the debates concerning anthropomorphism play a key role in a proper understanding of animal ethics. Series Editors’ Preface Contents List of Images Chapter 1: Introduction: Anthropomorphism and Animal Ethics References Chapter 2: Anthropomorphous Animals and Philosophy Introduction to Anthropomorphism Mechanomorphism and Science The Sceptical Stance, Neo-Cartesianism, and Animal Cognition Instinct and Consciousness: HOT and First-Order Theories References Chapter 3: Moral Standing and Human Exceptionalism Anthropomorphism as Philosophical Sin Anthropo-denial: Maintaining the Moral Paradigm Intersectionality and Objectification References Chapter 4: Critical Anthropomorphism Darwin on Attribution via Expression Montaigne and Hume: Unapologetic ‘Offenders’ Embodiment and Phenomenological Consciousness Re-evaluating Anthropomorphism References Chapter 5: Language and ‘Moral Anthropomorphism’ Unjustified Attributions Animal Sign-Language Studies Problems with Animal Communication Studies Self-Recognition Images: References References Chapter 6: Going Home: Returning from Posthumanism via a Defence of Identity as Continuity Animal Liberation, Anthropomorphism, and Anthropocentrism Identity—or Continuity—Theorists? Mistaking ‘Anthropo-identity’ with ‘Anthropo-insistence’ Difference and Posthumanism Ethics in Practice References Chapter 7: The Application of Key Concepts Animal Consciousness: A Problem Concerning Description and Language Redefining Language: Bodily Behaviours as Syntactical Language: The Last Bastion of Human Exceptionalism? Conclusions References Bibliography Index