Animal Ethics in the Wild: Wild Animal Suffering and Intervention in Nature PDF
Preview Animal Ethics in the Wild: Wild Animal Suffering and Intervention in Nature
ANIMAL ETHICS IN THE WILD Animals, like humans, suffer and die from natural causes. This is particularly true of animals living in the wild, given their high exposure to, and low capacity to cope with, harmful natural pro- cesses. Most wild animals likely have short lives, full of suffering, usually ending in terrible deaths. This book argues that on the assumption that we have reasons to assist others in need, we should intervene in nature to prevent or reduce the harms wild animals suffer, provided that it is feasible and that the expected result is positive overall. It is of the utmost importance that academics from differentdisciplinesaswellasanimaladvocatesbegintoconfrontthis issue. The more people concerned with wild animal suffering, the more probable it is that safe and effective solutions to the plight of wild animals willbe implemented inthe future. isAssistantProfessorofAppliedEthicsattheComplutense University of Madrid and a founding member of the Centre for Animal Ethics at Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona. She is the author of numerous articles and book chapters on wild animal suffering. ANIMAL ETHICS IN THE WILD ff Wild Animal Su ering and Intervention in Nature CATIA FARIA ComplutenseUniversityofMadrid ShaftesburyRoad,Cambridge,UnitedKingdom OneLibertyPlaza,thFloor,NewYork,,USA WilliamstownRoad,PortMelbourne,,Australia –,rdFloor,Plot,SplendorForum,JasolaDistrictCentre,NewDelhi–,India PenangRoad,#–/,VisioncrestCommercial,Singapore CambridgeUniversityPressispartofCambridgeUniversityPress&Assessment, adepartmentoftheUniversityofCambridge. WesharetheUniversity’smissiontocontributetosocietythroughthepursuitof education,learningandresearchatthehighestinternationallevelsofexcellence. www.cambridge.org Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/ :./ ©CatiaFaria Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexceptionandtotheprovisions ofrelevantcollectivelicensingagreements,noreproductionofanypartmaytake placewithoutthewrittenpermissionofCambridgeUniversityPress&Assessment. Firstpublished AcataloguerecordforthispublicationisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary. LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData :Faria,Catia,–author. :Animalethicsinthewild:wildanimalsufferingandinterventioninnature/CatiaFaria, ComplutenseUniversityofMadrid. :Cambridge,UnitedKingdom;NewYork,NY:CambridgeUniversityPress,.| Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex. :(print)|(ebook)| (hardback)|(paperback)|(epub) ::Animalwelfare–Moralandethicalaspects.|Environmentalethics. :.(print)|(ebook)|/.–dc/eng/ LCrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/ LCebookrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/ ----Hardback CambridgeUniversityPress&Assessmenthasnoresponsibilityforthepersistence oraccuracyofURLsforexternalorthird-partyinternetwebsitesreferredtointhis publicationanddoesnotguaranteethatanycontentonsuchwebsitesis,orwill remain,accurateorappropriate. Contents List of Tables page vii Acknowledgments viii Introduction: Helping Animals Moral Considerability . MoralConsiderabilityExplained . NonhumanWell-Being . EqualConsideration . TheBadnessofDeath Speciesism . TheConceptofSpeciesism . SpeciesismandAnthropocentrism . Personism . Conclusion Wild Animal Suffering . PopulationDynamicsandWildAnimalSuffering . NaturalHarmsofLifeintheWild . AMinimalCaseforIntervention Perversity and Futility . ObjectionstoIntervention:ATaxonomy . ThePerversityObjection . TheFutilityObjection Jeopardy . HolisticObjections . BiocentricObjections . TheAppealtothe“Natural” Relationality . Palmer’sContextualApproach . DonaldsonandKymlicka’sSovereigntyArgument v vi Contents Priority . TheExclusionApproach . TheDeflationApproach . ThePerfectionistApproach . DomesticatedAnimalsFirst Tractability . TractabilityandFeasibility . Neglectedness Conclusion References Index Tables . Taxonomy of objections against intervention page vii Acknowledgments I see this book as a collective endeavor. I would like to acknowledge the extraordinary encouragement,guidance, and supportI have receivedfrom many people over the years. In particular, I express my gratitude to Núria Almiron, Paula Casal, and all my fellows at the UPF-Centre for Animal Ethics; and to Alexandra Abranches, João Rosas, and the rest of the colleagues who welcomed me at the Centre for Ethics, Politics and Society at the University of Minho. Special thanks are due to my friend, regular coauthor, and time traveler Eze Paez, who has accompanied me through the peaks and troughs of academia, of life, and of my own mind. I am also deeply grateful to Oscar Horta, my mentor and friend, for his help, vision, and commitment to what matters the most. Manythanksaredueaswelltomychosenfamily,César,Marta,Momo, Nenna, and Rebk, without whose affective and social scaffolding I would simply not be alive today – Momo, in particular, brought beauty, energy, and the magic of connection to an otherwise rather dull existence; to my dear parents, Cândida and Albino, for their example of hard work, con- tinuous support, and affection, and also for instilling in me, from a very youngage,thequestforequalityandsocialjustice;tomysisterJoana,who hastakenonthedifficulttaskoftakingcareofallofus,forherbrillianceof mind and practical ability to solve problems in all dimensions of life; and to Aline, Fabiola, and Kris for their steady, genuine friendship. I am also forever indebted to Pablo (who made me happy), without whose joy this book would not have been started and, certainly, not finished. I further express my admiration and gratitude to all the people standing up for nonhuman animals within and outside academia and to all the philosop- hers who came before me. Previous drafts of this book have greatly benefited from philosophical exchanges with multiple people, including Jeff McMahan, Alasdair Cochrane, Genoveva Martí, Peter Vallentyne, Kasper Lippert-Rasmussuen, SerenaOlsaretti,AndrewWilliams,andClarePalmer.Iamgratefultoallof viii Acknowledgments ix them.Ialsothanktwoanonymousreviewersfortheirhelpfulcommentsand forallowing meto clarifya numberofproblems,which,hadtheynot been addressed,wouldhavedonelittlejusticetothesubject. I would like to thank my editor at Cambridge University Press, Hilary Gaskin,forherconsistentsupport,professionalism,andkindness,andalso foracceptingthedelaysresultingfromtwoCOVID-sickleaves.Nature is cruel, indeed. Or so this book argues. I further thank Ruth Montiel Arias for providing us with one of her many wonderful photos to illustrate the cover of this book, and Victor Crespo for his help with the index. Final thanks are due to Gerald, a decisive temporal part of my favorite four-dimensional object. The research that led to this book received financial support from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, Grant: SFRH/BPD/ /.
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