Against Liberation: Putting Animals in Perspective [Paperback]

Michael P. T. Leahy (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415103169 | ISBN-13: 978-0415103169 | Publication Date: December 8, 1993 | Edition: 2nd Revised edition

The Western world is currently gripped by an obsessive concern for the rights of animals - their uses and abuses. In this book, Leahy argues that this is a movement based upon a series of fundamental misconceptions about the basic nature of animals.
This is a radical philosophical questioning of prevailing views on animal rights, which credit animals with a self-consciousness like ours. Leahy's conclusions have implications for issues such as bloodsports, meat eating and fur trading.

Editorial Reviews

Review

. . . for those genuinely interested in understanding the issues surrounding animal rights controversies, this book is a must read.
–Choice

This is a well-argued book, deeply conversant with the literature on both sides of the debate, and accurate in its summary of varied opinions . . . . There is a clear need for this book, and it must be highly recommended for the sake of balanced presentation in an area of considerable acrimony.
–Religious Studies Review

Leahy's exploration of the implications of Wittgenstein's philosophy for the animals issue is valuable and salutary.
–Times Higher Education Supplement

. . . a useful addition to any collection on the ethics of animal use.
–Laboratory Animals

About the Author

Michael P. T. Leahy is Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Kent.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 2nd Revised edition edition (December 8, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415103169
• ISBN-13: 978-0415103169
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 1.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,529,938 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 70 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not controversial, but stupid, March 1, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Against Liberation: Putting Animals in Perspective (Paperback)

The arguments in this books are so illogical and unscholarly as to be laughable.

This book is best considered as a (unintentionally) satirical look at the position of those that put people first and practice speciesism by using animals for food, experimentation, etc. Michael Leahy is probably the kind of person that 150 years ago would have written a book defending the institution of slavery and opposing suffrage for women -- both pretty morally indefensible positions.

31 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Amateur philosophy, May 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Against Liberation: Putting Animals in Perspective (Paperback)

Mr. Leahy is totally uneducated as to the philosophy behind those who work for the advocacy of animals. I'd recommend those interested in this subject to begin with Peter Singer's 'Animal Liberation'. Mr. Leahy's book solidifies my opinion that the animal research community is based on greed, greed, greed.

23 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A for effort, F for acheivement, April 20, 2004

By 

Michael C. Morris (Wellington New Zealand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Against Liberation: Putting Animals in Perspective (Paperback)

I rate this book as two stars rather than one because the author has at least made an effort at producing a philosophical justification for his pro-exploitative position, however incoherently this is argued.

The author considers that it is the presence of language that give humans sufficient self awareness to have moral rights, and that all animals lack this awareness. The authors arguments are however incoherent, rambling and very hard to understand even for a reader such as myself with some understanding of philosophy.

The author displays woeful ignorance not only of recent studies into the philosophy of mind, but in modern linguistics - surprising for somebody whose arguments stand or fall on linguistic premises. The presence of language-less human adults (as recounted by Steven Pinker in "the language instinct")counters Leahey's arguments. Such humans presumably can be expoited at will according to Leahey's logic. Yet once these people had been taught language, all had a great deal to say about their experiences as languageless humans, and all showed that they had a high level of self awareness.

His arguments are not only rambling and incoherent, but often contradict themselves. When arguing for the continuation of fox hunting for example, the author uses the argument both that foxes are vermin that should be wiped out, and that hunting helps in the conservation of foxes! He is obviously confused.

If you want a book that will provide a well reasoned argument to continue with exploitative practices regarding animals, then I suggest you look elsewhere. In my opinion the philosophical case for animal liberation has been won. The best arguments against liberation come from Michael Fox and Roger Frey. And it should be noted that even these arguments failed to convince their authors as they later came over to the animal liberation side.