The Ethics of Animal Beauty

The Ethics of Animal Beauty explores the ethical implications of recognizing and admiring animal beauty, arguing that animation is essential to this appreciation and that it requires us to respond to animals with respect, care, gratitude, and wonder. This perspective has implications for animal rights and ecocritical debates and contributes to discussions in aesthetics and its relation to moral imperatives.

Format: Hardback
Length: 166 pages
Publication date: 15 October 2023
Publisher: Lexington Books

The Ethics of Animal Beauty presents a groundbreaking exploration into the aesthetics of animals, delving into the ethical implications of acknowledging and cherishing their beauty. In her compelling argument, Samantha Vice asserts that animation, the inherent aesthetic quality of possessing a subjective viewpoint on the world, holds paramount significance in truly appreciating the beauty of animals. By embracing animation, we are compelled to treat animals with reverence, compassion, gratitude, and awe.

Vice applies this concept to contemporary practices such as trophy hunting and taxidermy, as well as our intimate relationships with (domestic) companion animals. She argues that the appreciation of animal beauty carries profound ethical implications for our interactions with fellow creatures, impacting issues of animal rights and ecological debates. Moreover, this perspective contributes to essential discussions in aesthetics and its relationship to moral imperatives.

Through her insightful analysis, Vice challenges us to reevaluate our perception of animals and encourages us to cultivate a deeper understanding and respect for their inherent worth. The Ethics of Animal Beauty serves as a thought-provoking and transformative guide, urging us to embrace a more compassionate and ethical approach to our interactions with the natural world and its diverse inhabitants.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781498594509