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Animal Liberation
Books: CookBooks: Jewish Cooking: Item 2
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Animal Liberationby Peter Singer
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23 of 34 people found the following review helpful: A Philosophy Book That's Light on Actual Philsophy, July 23, 2003 Reviewer:"easyvegan" (The Sunflower State) - As an animal rights advocate for about 8 years, I figured that it was finally time to read "Animal Liberation", hailed as the "Bible" of the modern animal rights movement. Altogether, the book was somewhat disappointing - it's a philosophy book without much philosophical discussion! Singer does an excellent job of detailing the evils and follies of animal experimentation and animal agriculture. Though the first edition was released before I was even born (in 1978), he does thoroughly update the information for the newest edition (however, it was revised way back in '91, so the information is once again out of date). That's really about all "Animal Liberation" is useful for, though - gathering evidence and formulating arguments against the two largest forms of animal exploitation. As a philosophy book, "Animal Liberation" fails miserably. I've learned about Singer's philosophy by reading works by other AR philosophers (most notably, Gary Francione), so I had some background before picking up "AL". Good thing, because Singer only devotes one chapter (out of six) to his animal liberation philosophy. He never really elaborates on or fully explains his principles, leaving the reader to fill in the gaps. After reading "AL", I knew little more about Singer's beliefs than I did before picking it up. Furthermore, while Singer does rely on commonsensical logic, he never makes use of more advanced logic (as most philosophers do). "AL" is a philosophy book, written by a philosopher, but you'd never know this just by reading it! "AL" is a decent introduction to factory farming and vivisection, but it flounders at its primary task - presenting a comprehensive AR philosophy. What's especially ironic is that, though he's hailed as the godfather of the AR movement, Singer doesn't even endorse animal rights per se - rather, he's a proponent of a more ethical approach to animals. Also of note is the fact that Singer is a defender of infanticide and bestiality - which (in my opinion) does not make him the best representative of the AR movement. On a positive note, though, "AL" is a very easy read, since there's no cumbersome philosophy to slow the reader down! I would recommend that all animal rights advocates read "AL", if only because it's one of the most popular and commonly cited animal rights philosophy books. However, I would also urge anyone who's interested in the humane and ethical treatment of animals to also read works by Gary Francione and Tom Regan.
From Library Journal
"The modern animal rights movement may be dated to the 1975 publication of Animal Liberation by Australian philosopher Peter Singer," declared Newsweek of the first edition, and this "bible" for animal rights activists has just undergone a second edition. Singer continues his "blistering indictment of so-called humane use of animals in scientific research" ( LJ 12/1/75), describes the current (and still atrocious) state of animal testing, and brings up to date the activities of the animal rights movement, nascent at the time of the first edition's release. This is a necessary purchase for any animal rights collection. See also Heidi J. Welsh's Animal Testing and Consumer Products , Reviewed in this issue, p. 98.--Ed.
- Judy Quinn, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1990 Reed business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
-- Chicago Tribune
"A most important book that will change the way many of us look at animals--and, ultimately, at ourselves." --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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