Fundamental Rights for Non-Humans: Foundations, Flaws, and Futures

Can animals, artificial intelligences (AI), and nature have fundamental rights? Do they have fundamental rights? And if they do, how do their rights relate to human rights?

In this book, eminent and emerging scholars from fields as varied as legal theory, environmental studies, and philosophy, probe the theoretical foundations, flaws, and future prospects of the growing phenomenon of non-human rights.

Using a dialogical structure, the book consists of matched chapters, with one contributor advancing a view on fundamental rights and another engaging with it. This allows readers to deepen their understanding of the different perspectives offered and to participate in constructive conversations that tease out the promise and pitfalls of each position.

This balanced approach makes the book particularly helpful to scholars and students who are seeking insights into the emerging field of fundamental rights for non-humans. The book also benefits theoretically-minded lawyers, judges, and policymakers who are considering the foundational issues that shape the development of animal rights, AI rights, and rights of nature.

Raffael Fasel is Assistant Professor-elect in Public Law at the Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge, UK.

Raffael completed his PhD in Law at the University of Cambridge (Sidney Sussex College) and was a Fellow in Law at the LSE. He obtained an LLM from Yale Law School, an MA in Philosophy from UCL, and holds a Bachelor of Law and a Master of Law degree from the University of Fribourg.

Raffael supervises Roman Law and lectures Animal Rights Law in the Cambridge Law Faculty, and is Executive Director of the Cambridge Centre for Animal Rights Law.