Lori Gruen Speaks with Students About Research, Zoo, and Circus Animal Law
The Law, Ethics & Animals Program (LEAP) hosted philosopher Lori Gruen to discuss the ethical and political questions raised by keeping animals in captivity, and laws involving research, zoo, and circus animals. The visit, which took place on October 21, 2019, was part of the Fall 2019 Animal Law course.
Gruen is the author and editor of eleven books, including Critical Terms for Animal Studies (Chicago, 2018), Entangled Empathy (Lantern, 2015), The Ethics of Captivity (Oxford, 2014), Reflecting on Nature: Readings in Environmental Philosophy and Ethics (Oxford, 2012), and Ethics and Animals: An Introduction (Cambridge, 2011). A long-time advocate for captive animals, Gruen is also known for her work documenting “The First 100” chimpanzees used in research in the U.S. and the transition to sanctuaries of “The Last 1000” research chimpanzees in the country.
Gruen sparked a lively class discussion on the topic of “animal dignity,” a concept advanced by the philosopher Martha Nussbaum that imagines that justice depends on respect for animals’ deep and species-specific needs and abilities. Gruen also introduced her alternative concept of “wild dignity,” a relational concept of dignity where humans appreciate the wildness of animals, allow animals to live as they choose, and respect their behaviors as meaningful.
As an example, Gruen displayed an image of a pet poodle whose owners had groomed and dyed the poodle’s hair to look like a dragon and asked the class why painting the poodle green violates the animal’s dignity. Gruen argued that dignity is violated when animals are thought of as objects to be owned and controlled. The harm is therefore both relational — in the distortion of humans’ relationships with the dog — and conceptual.
Gruen is the William Griffin Professor of Philosophy and Professor of Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Science in Society at Wesleyan University, where she is also the coordinator of Wesleyan Animal Studies. Gruen’s research lies at the intersection of ethical theory, political philosophy, and social practice, and is concerned with those often overlooked, including women, people of color, incarcerated people, and nonhuman animals.
The Law, Ethics & Animals Program (LEAP) is a new initiative at Yale Law School that leads and coordinates a diverse program of activities. It seeks to contribute to defining, expanding, and advancing the field of animal law. Among recent and upcoming speakers are David Wolfson, Jennifer Jacquet, Becca Franks, and Charles Siebert.
Read more about LEAP’s upcoming events.
By Hope Bigda-Peyton
