Building a Comprehensive Understanding of Animal Ethics

The information from Rachel McCrystal's presentation this past Tuesday overlapped with a lot of the information from our first reading assignment in The Animal Ethics Reader. Both discussed the history of the animal welfare and rights movements, making note of the early focus on horses and anti-vivisection, rather than on companion animals such as cats and dogs. In comparing these two sources, I feel that they complimented each other quite nicely. I believe The Animal Ethics Reader did a wonderful job detailing the history of vegetarianism, while Rachel's presentation did an amazing job detailing the history of shelter organizations, and the role that women played in the movement's early stages. Because we are a class of all females (with the exception of Dan, of course!) I think it is empowering to learn about the roles women have played throughout history, despite obstacles they may have faced.

The presentation also introduced us into volunteering at the PSPCA this semester. I was there this past weekend, getting trained to work with cats and dogs, and I think it will feel even more meaningful now that I know about the origins of the shelter and the processes it took to get there. I would love to see this movement continue to advance, particularly in the shelters (since we are discussing companion animals, and not factory farming).

Lastly, I appreciate the multiple approaches this class is taking in terms of discourse -- we are incorporating ideas from history, philosophy, women's studies, literature-studies, and community-based learning, and I think it will provide those of us in the class with a more comprehensive understanding of the relationships, thoughts, and beliefs people have regarding animals than any average person would even be aware of. This knowledge will propel us to introduce the subject to others in a form that is not structured on thoughtlessness and ignorance, but on informative, and thought-out reason.