Animal Legal Philosophy & Development 303-S1

In this class, we will explore a number of influential theories regarding the moral status of non-human animals.  We will ask a number of tough questions about our treatment of animals; how we answer these questions has an impact on how we personally treat animals but it also impacts societal and legal structures. The class will focus on reading and discussing both ancient and contemporary texts by philosophers – Seneca, Aristotle, Rene Descartes, Immanuel Kant, Peter Singer, Tom Regan, Carl Cohen, Gary Francione, Martha Nussbaum – and legal scholars – such as Cass Sunstein, Richard Posner, Catharine MacKinnon, Steven Wise, and Richard Epstein.  We will focus on theoretical differences and similarities between them, and as well as the practical implications of their theories.