Babies And Beasts
The Argument from Marginal Cases
Examining arguments in a cornerstone animal rights debate
Paper – $30
978-0-252-06638-2
Publication Date
Paperback: 07/01/1997
About the Book
Examining arguments in a cornerstone animal rights debateBoth its defenders and detractors have described the argument from marginal cases as the most important to date in defense of animal rights. Hotly debated among philosophers for some twenty years, the argument concludes that no morally relevant characteristic distinguishes human beings—including infants, the severely retarded, the comatose, and other so-called marginal cases—from any other animals.
Daniel Dombrowski explores the range of views relating to the argument from marginal cases and sorts out and evaluates its various uses and abuses. Throughout, Dombrowski analyzes the views of figures prominent in the debate, including Peter Singer, Thomas Regan, H. J. McCloskey, Jan Narveson, John Rawls, R. G. Frey, Peter Carruthers, Michael Leahy, Robert Nozick, and James Rachels.
Insightful and wide-ranging, Babies and Beasts is a historically-grounded resource for philosophers, animal rights activists, clinicians, and others who deal with "marginal cases."
About the Author
Daniel A. Dombrowski is a professor emeritus of philosophy at Seattle University. His many books include A History of the Concept of God: A Process Approach and Whitehead's Religious Thought: From Mechanism to Organism, From Force to Persuasion.Also by this author
Reviews
"Dombrowski's excellent book provides a clear, readable account of the debate that touches all the bases. His critical assessments are always sensible and his own view could become an important option in the field."—James Rachels, author of Created from Animals: The Moral Implication of Darwinism
Related Titles
