Animals as Biotechnology: Ethics, Sustainability and Critical Animal StudiesIn Animals as Biotechnology sociologist Richard Twine places the question of human/animal relations at the heart of sustainability and climate change debates. The book is shaped by the emergence of two contradictory trends within our approach to nonhuman animals: the biotechnological turn in animal sciences, which aims to increase the efficiency and profitability of meat and dairy production; and the emerging field of critical animal studies - mostly in the humanities and social sciences - which works to question the nature of our relations with other animals. The first part of the book focuses on ethics, examining critically the dominant paradigms of bioethics and power relations between human and non-human. The second part considers animal biotechnology and political economy, examining commercialisation and regulation. The final part of the book centres on discussions of sustainability, limits and an examination of the prospects for animal ethics if biotechnology becomes part of the dominant agricultural paradigm. Twine concludes by considering whether growing calls to reduce our consumption of meat/dairy products in the face of climate change threats are in fact complicit with an anthropocentric understanding of sustainability and that what is needed is a more fundamental ethical and political questioning of relations and distinctions between humans, animals and nature. |
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Animals As Biotechnology: Ethics, Sustainability and Critical Animal Studies Richard Twine No preview available - 2015 |
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agricultural already animal biotechnology animal bodies animal breeding animal ethics animal production animal science animal scientists animal studies animal welfare approach argue argument associated attempts become bioethicists bioethics biotechnology body broader capitalization Chapter climate change cloning concept concerns constructed consumption context continued critical critique cultural discourse discussed economic efficiency emergence enhancement environmental example farmed animals focus forms frame further future genetic genomics given global human human–animal relations idea impact important increase industry interest issues knowledge less livestock material means meat molecular molecular techniques moral Moreover nature nonhuman particular patent political position possible potential practices problem provides public sociology question recent reducing refers regulatory reproductive scientific seen selection selective breeding sense significant social society sociology specific strategies sustainability traditional turn understanding various