Respecting Animals

""A reasoned approach to the ethical use of animals that weaves a path between the radicals on both sides of many animal ethics issues.”

—Temple Grandin, author, Animals Make Us Human

“A refreshing and practical perspective on how we should treat the creatures with which we share our world. Combining moral philosophy, logic, and law with personal stories and even poetry, noted legal scholar David S. Favre raises the big questions and offers some surprising answers.”

—Hal Herzog, author of Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Why It’s So Hard to Think Straight about Animals

“Favre is one of the nation’s leading thinkers on animal rights. What sets him apart is his attempt to find a middle ground between the extreme positions of no rights for animals and a full ‘personhood’ status. I found his decades of work incredibly informative in preparing my own book on the evolving social and legal status of cats and dogs, and I think his book will become a must-read for anyone interested in the evolving status of animals in society.”

—David Grimm, PhD, online news editor at Science and author of Citizen Canine: Our Evolving Relationship with Cats and Dogs

“Building on four decades of legal and ethical scholarship, in Respecting Animals, Favre carefully constructs a middle way between the exploitation of animals and abolition of their use. While so many within the animal movement scream for attention, Favre provides a quieter and thoughtful vision of the way forward, advocating for the creation of positive ethical obligations.”

—Joyce Tischler, founder and general counsel, Animal Legal Defense Fund

“Today’s discussions surrounding humans’ treatment of animals, especially for food, is fraught with polarized accusations and counter-accusations. Favre’s is a calm, informed, and necessary voice, shedding much light, rather than heat, on this important and timely subject.”

—Nicolette Hahn Niman, author, Righteous Porkchop and Defending Beef

“The beauty and challenge of this excellent volume is that the arguments found here about ethics and animals do not fit neatly into the categories of either free use of animals or total abolition of their use. Therefore, Favre’s journey does not permit the reader to utilize ready-made definitions, assumptions, goals, and conclusions as he explores the personal, legal, and ethical implications of ‘living property.’ Even central concepts such as ‘use,’ ‘community,’ and ‘respect’ take on important and expanded meaning.”

—John P. Gluck, PhD, Professor Emeritus, University of New Mexico; faculty affiliate, Kennedy Institute of Ethics, Georgetown University; and author, Voracious Science and Vulnerable Animals: A Primate Scientist’s Ethical Journey

“In an ever more polarized debate over different forms of animal use, Favre carves out an important middle position that he calls ‘respectful use.’ Adopting a highly engaging and accessible style, he defends the morally legitimate use of animals in contexts such as companionship and small-scale farming, developing these ideas in tandem with his influential related idea of animals as ‘living property.’”

—Peter Sandøe, professor of bioethics, University of Copenhagen