Animals and the Economy
Authors: Steven McMullen
This book explores the economic institutions that determine the nature of animal lives as systematically exploited objects traded in a market economy. It examines human roles and choice in the system, including the economic logic of agriculture, experimentation, and animal ownership, and analyses the marginalization of ethical action in the economic system.
Animals and the Economy demonstrates that individual consumers and farmers are often left with few truly animal-friendly choices. Ethical participants in the economy must either face down an array of institutional barriers, or exit mainstream markets entirely. This book argues that these issues are not necessary elements of a market system, and evaluates a number of policy changes that could improve the lives of animals in the context of a market economy.
Table of contents
Front Matter
Introduction
The Place of Animals in the Economy
The Ethical Logic of Economics
Giving Consumers What They Want?
Ethical Consumer Action
Competition and Moral Complicity
Regulating Animal Use
Animal Experimentation
Property Rights and Animal Rights
Ownership and Animal Oppression
A New Kind of Ownership
Conclusion
Back Matter