ANIMALS AND HUMAN SOCIETY

This volume, and the conference from which it derives, arose from a conviction that this diversity of attitudes and the paradoxes which it presents are not only of great intrinsic interest, its investigation is a necessary base from which to develop a sensible, yet sensitive approach to animals in the modern world. The chapters that follow consider animals and society both across time and across cultures. The concluding chapters deal with ourselves in our time. No matter how much technology appears to cut us off and buffer our societies from the so-called natural world, it remains pervasive and indeed we are presented with some issues concerning animals as pressing as at any time in history. Ruth Harrison’s book on factory farming was called Animal Machines, a title which harks back ironically to Descartes. Modern agriculture, the pet industry, transgenic animals and the conservation movement offer some striking contrasts for us to contemplate. These phenomena coexist, and proponents of each may be able to learn from the others. Mary Midgley calls her summing up ‘Bridge-building at last’. We hope this volume will play a part.