Animal Minds, Animal Souls, Animal Rights

Animal Minds, Animal Souls, Animal Rights explores the thinking of philosophers and theologians about controversies concerning animal consciousness and animal rights. The book presents Bernard Lonergan's theory about consciousness and the operations of the mind-a theory about two types of knowing and desiring: one shared by humans and animals, and the other, which depends on the activity of asking questions, possessed by humans alone. The author tests this theory against present-day research with apes, and examines religious claims, historical and current, about animals. Animal Minds, Animal Souls, Animal Rights concludes by laying a philosophical and theological foundation for a contemporary ethic in which humans are obligated to exercise intelligent stewardship and ensure the compassionate treatment of animals.

James V. Parker, Ph.D., retired professor of philosophy and theology, worked with biomedical scientists for seventeen years as public information officer at the Oregon National Primate Research Center. He co-authored The Animal Research War (Macmillan, 2007), and published several articles on animal rights in popular magazines and peer-reviewed journals, including Science.