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Ethics of Animal Use written by Peter Sandoe and Stine B. Christiansen was published by Blackwell Publishing in 2008. Sandoe is a philosopher and professor of bioethics at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark and Christiansen is a veterinarian and MSc in animal behavior and welfare working on her PhD also at the University of Copenhagen. The authors wrote the book to assist students and interested persons working in the fields of veterinary medicine, animal science, animal welfare, and animal behavior to understand the myriad of ethical considerations when using animals for human use. The book is written from an objective perspective, explaining and discussing the ethical issues without taking a stance on the moral and ethical views of animal use.
The forward of the book is written by Bernard Rollin, one of the world’s leading scholars of animal rights, animal consciousness, and Distinguished Professor at Colorado State University followed by an excellent introduction where the authors explain their goals for the book. The introduction itself is an interesting lead in to the book and outlines the topics to follow. The first half of the book provides an overview of animal use by humans and general philosophical values of humans using animals for their own benefit. The principles of animal ethics are introduced as generalized concepts for which the reader must absorb and form his own opinion. “Chapter 2: What Are Our Duties to Animals?” explores animal ethics from the five generalized concepts such as contractarianism, utilitarianism, the animal rights view, the relational view, and the respect for nature ideals. Hybrid views of animal ethics emerge as individuals combine the values of each view with which they are most comfortable. Brief stories and quotes from well known ethicists explain their rationale for differing stances on animal ethics.
The remainder of the book explores animal use in society and how the concepts of animal ethics and welfare discussed previously relate to animal use. “Chapter 4: Role of Veterinarians and Other Animal Science Professionals” considers both the direct and indirect influence those professionals have on animals and their welfare. Animal welfare is generally assessed based on health, physiology, and behavior. Those parameters can be evaluated from different perspectives and therefore can have differing answers. Society often looks to veterinarians as animal advocates and to define those parameters in the best interest of the animals whether they be companions, research specimens, farm, or wild animals. Remaining chapters address food animal production, disease control in domestic and wildlife, laboratory animals, companion animals, breeding and biotechnology, and wild animal management.
Throughout the book, key points conclude each chapter and provide a brief synopsis of the main principles and ethical considerations addressed in that particular chapter. Further reading lists offer additional references including “Animal Ethics Dilemma,” a free Internet resource challenging the reader with ethical situations to apply their ethical views. Shaded text boxes emphasize crucial examples in the book to underscore their importance. A brief table of contents and reasonably detailed index allow for more easy navigation to specific discussion.
Ethics of Animal Use is written as an unbiased introduction to animal ethics and animal welfare for the veterinary or animal science student, objectively explaining the predominant societal views of ethical animal treatment and welfare. It is an interesting, well-written book which would serve an excellent foundation for further deliberation on such a highly charged topic.
Sandra L. Jex is a veterinarian and consultant.