The Gray Area with Sean Illing

What do we owe animals?

Jan 5, 2023

In this engaging discussion, Martha Nussbaum, the Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Philosophy and Law at the University of Chicago, explores her groundbreaking book, Justice for Animals. She argues for a rethinking of how we treat non-human animals, critiquing traditional ethical frameworks like utilitarianism. Nussbaum emphasizes the need for a universal ethical language that recognizes individual animal needs and advocates for stronger legal protections, particularly for companion animals, while challenging conventional farming practices.

48:33

Episode guests

Martha Nussbaum

Highlights

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Companion Animals and Society

00:41

Origin of Universal Declaration of Human Rights

00:38

Intro

4min

Rethinking Animal Justice

13min

Ethical Language and Animal Welfare

8min

Reimagining Animal Companionship

7min

Ethical Considerations in Animal Farming and the Capabilities Approach

2min

Ethics of Animal Decision-Making

12min

Guest host Sigal Samuel talks with philosopher and author Martha Nussbaum about her new book, Justice for Animals. Martha discusses several different ethical, legal, and metaphysical theories for how we humans should treat other non-human animals, and offers her own distinct new approach.

Host: Sigal Samuel (@SigalSamuel), Senior Reporter, Vox

Guest: Martha Nussbaum, author; Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Philosophy, U. Chicago

References:

Justice for Animals: Our Collective Responsibility by Martha Nussbaum (Simon & Schuster; 2022)
Drawing the Line: Science and the Case for Animal Rights by Steven M. Wise (Basic; 2003)
Primates and Philosophers: How Morality Evolved by Frans de Waal (Princeton; 2006)
Animal Liberation: A New Ethics for Our Treatment of Animals by Peter Singer (1975)
Fellow Creatures: Our Obligations to Other Animals by Christine Korsgaard (Oxford; 2018)
Political Liberalism by John Rawls (1993)
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948)
"Ag-Gag" Laws in the United States (Animal Legal Defense Fund)
Zoopolis: A Political Theory of Animal Rights by Sue Donaldson and Will Kymlicka (Oxford; 2011)

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This episode was made by:

Producer: Erikk Geannikis
Editor: Amy Drozdowska
Engineer: Patrick Boyd
Editorial Director, Vox Talk: A.M. Hall

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