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E-book
Author Preece, Rod, 1939-

Title Brute souls, happy beasts, and evolution : the historical status of animals / Rod Preece
Published Vancouver, B.C. : UBC Press, ©2005

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Description 1 online resource (xiii, 480 pages)
Contents Contents -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- In Quest of the Soul -- Peripatetic Souls -- A Natural History of Animal Souls -- Return to Nature -- Theriophily Redivivus -- Symbiosis -- Evolution, Chain, and Categorical Imperative -- Kinship and Evolution -- The Moral Status of Animals -- Notes -- Select Bibliography -- Index
Summary "In this inquiry into the status of animals in human society from the fifth century BC to the present, Rod Preece provides a wholly new perspective on the human-animal relationship. He skillfully demonstrates that, counter to prevailing intellectual opinion, ethical attitudes toward animals are neither restricted to the twentieth century nor the result of Darwin's theory of evolution. They have been part of Western thought and culture for centuries." "Preece builds a cogent and persuasive argument, challenging current assumptions about the historical status of animals in Western civilization. He dispels the notion that animals were denied ethical consideration by Christian doctrine, refutes the claim that the Cartesian conception of animals as automata was widely embraced, and proves that "theriophily"--The notion of animal superiority over humans - was given greater credence than is commonly recognized. The exhaustive research and breadth of knowledge that Preece reveals in this book are matched by his belief in our ethical responsibilities to animals."--Jacket
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references (pages 453-469) and index
Notes Print version record
Subject Animal welfare -- History
Animal welfare -- Moral and ethical aspects -- History
Animal welfare -- Philosophy -- History
Animals and civilization -- History
Human-animal relationships.
NATURE -- Animal Rights.
Animal welfare
Animal welfare -- Moral and ethical aspects
Animal welfare -- Philosophy
Animals and civilization
Human-animal relationships
Genre/Form Electronic books
History
Form Electronic book
ISBN 9780774851558
0774851554
Other Titles Historical status of animals