Customer Reviews

Animal Others: On Ethics, Ontology, and Animal Life (Suny Series in Contemporary Continental Philosophy)

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I thought that this book offered a new look at animal issues and animal ethics. It is also entertaining and readable. Some of the philosophy can be difficult for a novice but it is worth working through it all. I hope that more books like this on such an important topic get published in the future. Thanks!

Plato... Descartes, Nietzsche, Heidegger... the whole pseudo-science of philosophy never really has added anything to real scientific knowlegde in my opinion as it's only about opportune, highly culture-bound, time-sensitive personal views; and within that context the view of a garbage collector has the same worth to me these days as some read-it-all ethic. So I am definitely not "into" human sciences like philosphy - as an artist painter have to read/see all of course - but I'll make an exception toward Animal Others (yeah, my 1st review ever!).

In a field where the just mentioned opportune human thought estranges more and more from natural reality into ethic-technical constructions, Animal Others stands the barricade. Full of new - or probably carefully ignored! - insights, there is no other publication like it to compare at the moment to my knowlegde. The compilation of Animal Others shuns no taboos for a start. No... I won't give anything away here, but just thought of a good hint: it advocates "animal rights" while making a laugh at contemporary animal-rights-philosophers like Barbara Noske, or downright loonies in that field like Carol Adams and the PETA-like organisations. Yup, it's often hilarious reading as well!

Having read Animal Others I think there might be an increasing chance that contemporary western culture - of which it is an exponent of course - will find back its roots in the animal kingdom. After all we're just another mammal species. It's at least interesting to see that recently publications like this one and for example (by B. Bagemihl) appear on the shelves....

Animal Others; there's only one editorial flaw in it that I can think of; it should be "Animal Sames". We're all one! Therefor: full marks.