Bernie Rollin Memorial Lecture in Animal Ethics

Erin McKenna, University of Oregon

Monday, October 30

Longs Peak Room, LSC 302 | 4 pm

A Pragmatist Eco-Feminist Approach to Living with Animals: Pets, Livestock, Wildlife

A pragmatism ecofeminist approach to living with other animal beings takes human continuity with the rest of nature seriously and arrives at a pluralist approach to ethics that takes actual and changing relationships seriously.  I will argue that this approach offers more useful guidance to public policy and personal relationships with other animal beings as it avoids moral absolutism and human exceptionalism. This will be illustrated with examples of human relationships with animal beings commonly viewed as “pets,” “livestock,” and “wild.” While many animal beings will be discussed, horses will provide a particular focus.