Creatures Like Us?

More than another book on animal rights, this volume advances what the author calls a relational approach to the moral status of animals. The author's experience of being brought up with animals shaped her conviction that they are 'creatures like us' rather than sub-standard human beings. A striking illustration of her thesis is a story about her horses who liked to be able to turn their stable lights on and off. However, following an alarming electricity bill she disconnected the power, only to find that the pull-cords had been wrenched out of their fittings by the frustrated horses - who liked to be in control. As Mary Midgley observes, it is 'a lively and astute book which does a badly needed job in clearing out a pile of bad philosophy'.