Since our earliest existence we have developed increasingly more powerful tools to control nonhuman animals.
However, we also came to realize more and more that living on this globe with and among other animals is not morally neutral. An important feature of the human-animal interaction is the fact that animals become individuals to whom we become attached or feel attracted. This aspect brings animals within our moral domain.
From this point of view the different chapters of this book may be read. From the search for understanding what animals are and how they behave to the moral conflict of using animals for satisfying our needs. This book deals with the different sides of the past, present and future challenge of living with our fellow animalsÉ for our and their benefit.
This book contains five parts dealing with the human-animal relationship:
- Animals and Culture: revealing past and present cultural views on animals;
- The Human-animal Bond: dealing with the interaction between animals and their owners;
- Public Perception: dealing with the way people perceive the use of animals for our own benefit;
- Ethics and Law: dealing with moral and legal aspects of human-animal interaction;
- Human-animal Relationship, Global economy, and Modern farming: dealing with future challenges of the way we produce meat, milk and eggs.