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The truth will set you free.
The following are a few of the books and academic articles that I have read on the topic of animal ethics, especially through the lens of the Catholic faith. I have no relationship with the authors or the publishers. Neither do I agree with everything they have to say. However, their writings provide good material to help us ponder about our treatment of animals.
Dominion is the best book I have read on this topic. By weaving a narrative of cultural practices that includes scientific and philosophical content, Matthew Scully does an stellar job in presenting a holistic view of the place of animals in this anthropocentric world. This book will speak to you intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually. I have linked below the four page introduction of the book with permission from the author.
All God's Animals is an academic treatise on the subject, and requires the reader to have some background in Christian philosophy and theology. It is a good resource for those looking for a philosophically robust discussion.
For Love of Animals provides a good overview of concern for animals to a Catholic reader. It provides a light discussion of veganism in the Catholic Tradition while providing useful jumping off points for further reading.
Eating animals focuses on animals in the food industry. The author researches the things animals have to go through to provide us with meat. Written in a narrative form, it makes a compelling case for raising awareness that could change minds and hearts, and hopefully, food consumption habits.
Animal Rights is a good introduction to the topic from a secular ethics perspective.
A series of essays about the cruel treatment of animals in various (unnecessary) human activities and a call to compassion.
Are We Addicted to the Suffering of Animals.pdfAre we addicted to the suffering of animals?
- John Berkman
A Faith Embracing All Creatures: Addressing Commonly Asked Questions about Christian Care for Animals Chapter 11 (pp.124-137)
Publisher: Cascade Books
Editors: Andy Alexis-Baker, Tripp York
"A proper description of factory farming understands cruelty as an essential element, and thus meat that one knows is from such a source is improperly referred to merely as meat, but is properly and truthfully described as cruelty meat. Thus, if I were to eat North American factory-farmed bacon or ribs, I would consent to the cruelty that is inherent in the production of that bacon and ribs."
Dominion Introduction.pdfIntroduction, Dominion: The Power of Man, the Suffering of Animals, and the Call to Mercy.
- Matthew Scully
"Human beings love animals as only the higher love the lower, the knowing love the innocent, and the strong love the vulnerable. When we wince at the suffering of animals, that feeling speaks well of us even when we ignore it, and those who dismiss love for our fellow creatures as mere sentimentality overlook a good and important part of our humanity."
Standing in Livestock's Long Shadow.pdfStanding in Livestock's 'Long Shadow': The Ethics of Eating Meat on a Small Planet.
- Brian G. Henning
Ethics & the Environment,
Volume 16, Number 2, Fall 2011, pp. 63-93
Published by Indiana University Press
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2979/ethicsenviro.16.2.63
"We will find that, considering both the direct and indirect effects, the overconsumption of animal meat is now a (if not the) leading cause of or contributor to both malnourishment and obesity, chronic disease, antibiotic resistance, and the spread of infectious disease; the livestock sector may now be the single greatest source of
freshwater use and pollution, the leading cause of rainforest deforestation, and the driving force behind spiraling species extinction; finally, livestock production is among the largest sectoral sources of greenhouse gas emissions contributing to global climate change."
Aseneta - Laudato Si on Non Human Animals.pdfLaudato Si ’ on Non-Human Animals.
- Anatoly Angelo R. Aseneta
Journal of Moral Theology,
Volume 6, Number 2, 2017, pp. 230-245
"We should make reasonable efforts to avoid using non-human animals, and to find ways to treat them with the respect that is their due whenever they are used out of real necessities and not just out of convenience and pleasure under the guise of necessity."
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