Philosophy and Our Attitudes Toward Animals
S07
Ward Jones
Philosophers have been long concerned with the nature of animals, and our attitudes toward them. In this class, we will look at various questions: Do animals have minds? How should we understand what they do? Do animals have rights? What is the proper way to treat them? What do we share with animals, and why is that important? What is involved in seeing ourselves as animals? Texts will include J.M. Coetzee’s The Lives of Animals and Raimond Gaita’s The Philosopher’s Dog.