The animal catalyst : towards ahuman theory / edited by Patricia MacCormack.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

MacCormack, Patricia, editor.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Animal welfare--Moral and ethical aspects.

Animal welfare.

Human-animal relationships--Philosophy.

Human-animal relationships.

Philosophical anthropology.

Speciesism.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (225 p.)

Place of Publication:

London ; New York : Bloomsbury Academic, 2014.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

"The Animal Catalyst deals with the 'question' of 'what is an animal' and also in some instances, 'what is a human'? It pushes the critical animal studies in important new directions; it re-examines its basic assumptions, suggests new paradigms for how we can live and function ecologically, in a world that is not simply "ours." It argues that it is not enough to recognise the ethical demands placed upon us by our encounters with animals, or to critique our often murderous treatment of them: this simply reinforces human exceptionalism. Featuring contributions from leading academics, lawyers, artists and activists, the book examines key issues such as: - How "compassion" for animals reinforces ideas of what distinguishes human beings from other animals. - How animal documentaries highlight the problematics of human-based representations of nonhumans. - How speciesism and human centricity are built into the legal system. - How individualist subjectivity works in relation to animals who may not think of themselves in the same way. - How any consideration of animal others must involve a radical deconstruction of our very notion of the "human." This v. is a unique project which stands at the cutting edge of both animal rights philosophies and posthuman/artistic/abstract philosophies of identity. It will be of great interest to undergraduates and researchers in philosophy, ethics, particularly continental philosophy, critical theory and cultural studies"--Bloomsbury Publishing.

Contents:

Notes on Contributors ; Acknowledgements ; Introduction / Patricia MacCormack

Part I: New Abolitionist Approaches. 1. The War on Compassion / Carol J. Adams ; 2. Legal Technology Confronts Speciesism or We Have Met the Enemy and He is Us / John T. Maher ; 3. 'Beyond' the Singular? Ecology, Subjectivity, Politics / Danielle Sands

Part II: Animal Mediators: Philosophy, Film, Literature. 4. 'Etre aux aguets': Deleuze, Creation and Territorialization / Charles J. Stivale ; 5. Out of the Labyrinth, into the Métro: Becoming-animal, the Waking Dream and Movements of World in Raymond Queneau and Louis Malle's Zazie dans le métro / Colin Gardner ; 6. The Animal That Therefore I Am Not: Inhuman Mediations on the Ultimate Degeneration of Bios and Zoe via the Inevitable Process of Phenomenophagism / Charlie Blake ; 7. The Taste of Living / Chrysanthi Nigianni

Part III: Ahumanity: A Liberation of Life. 8. Suicide for Animals / Claire Colebrook ; 9. Dark Pedagogy / Jason Wallin ; 10. Self-Harm, Human Harm? / Ruth McPhee ; 11. After Life / Patricia MacCormack

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781472527752

1472527755

9781472594266

1472594266

9781472529275

1472529278

OCLC:

1197815952