Nussbaum’s position is one of resolute and pragmatic optimism ... Throughout, she is inspiring and persuasive. Nussbaum explains in her moving introduction that the book is 'a work of love.'
Nussbaum is going a different way, taking aim at the entire system of moral thought that, consciously or not, has led us to treat living things as objects ... Make no mistake, this is a serious work of philosophy – and probably not most people’s idea of an ideal beach read, with its earnest interrogation of Kantian ethics and utilitarianism. That being said, the book does tell the sad stories of specific animals ... Some readers may view these tales as tacky emotional vibrato in what is otherwise a scholarly read. Nussbaum defends herself, making the point 'extinction never takes place without the suffering of individual creatures' ... Justice for Animals is a timely and weighty reminder that a positive future is possible and worth fighting for.
Urgent ... In this brilliant and accessible work, Nussbaum develops an account of the moral lives of animals that is stronger than other philosophers’ accounts and relevant to the efforts of humans seeking to build a better, more just world for all animals ... Although Justice for Animals is written to address general readers, Nussbaum works through, in lively and accessible fashion, key philosophical questions about animals and ethics ... Nussbaum does not avoid difficult questions ... All readers, not only readers already committed to animal rights, ought to read Nussbaum’s new book. Following Nussbaum’s arguments, we can discover new ways of seeing animals with wonder and compassion. And we can hone our senses of outrage and use that outrage to fuel our efforts to build a better world for all us animals.
