Animals and Science: A Guide to the Debates

(Hardback)

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Are humans and animals the result of supernatural creation, or are they the product of evolutionary processes Are animals conscious - able to feel pain and emotion and self-aware Are they then beings worthy of moral respect Do they have rights Do we have obligations and duties towards them This volume examines these questions in the light of the evolution of modern science, from the Renaissance to the beginning of the 21st century. It covers Medieval legacies: an examination of the "scale of nature", based on the theological view of a universe created and designed by God, with humans as the top and other species below. It looks at medicine and the beast machine: how comparative anatomy and vivisection in the 16th and 17th centuries showed scientists structural similarities between humans and animals. It also examines animal pain and human morals: as scientists realize animals and humans experience pain the same way, the first organized animal welfare groups emerge.

Reviews

"In this philosophical treatment of the history of humankind's relationship with animals, Shanks provides the broad historical background and ethical framework ... the reading is a pleasure and the rewards are great." - School Library Journal "[V]ery useful book ... The writing is clear and interesting ... Animals in Science will be a valuable addition to any public or academic library." - American Reference Books Annual

Author Bio

Niall Shanks is professor of philosophy and adjunct professor of biological sciences at East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN.