This article examines whether the use of horses for riding, sports, and leisure purposes is inherently morally objectionable and argues that, whilst riding may be enjoyable for some horses under very specific circumstances, too often animals within this industry are reduced to mere commodities. The current conditions and welfare standards for horses are documented in three settings—riding schools, competition grounds, and livery yards. This article identifies a series of practical interventions which could significantly improve the lives of horses, achievable either (...) through educational or legislative reform, and argues for the necessity of radically re-evaluating our relationships with horses so that our behaviors reflect their intrinsic value. (shrink)

It is currently estimated that more than 1 billion animals are killed for the fur industry every year. This industry is estimated to be valued in the region of $40 billion. This indicates both that there is a moral imperative and an economic opportunity to explore alternatives to conventional fur. While faux fur is currently available on the market, its production is associated with environmentally destructive practices. The development of stem cell technologies provides an exciting new avenue to explore. Specifically, (...) the use of induced pluripotent stem cells may provide a means of growing fur in a laboratory setting. Here we outline the proposed technology and methods. We consider and respond to a number of potential moral objections against pursuing this innovative possibility, arguing that the benefits such technology could bring to animals in the fur industry are too great to be ignored. (shrink)

Buddhist Perspectives on Free Will: Agentless Agency? gives voice, for the first time, to exclusively Buddhist perspectives on free will. In bringing together the work of some of the most important thinkers in this relatively new area of Buddhist studies, editor Rick Repetti gives the reader access both to the best theories on Buddhism and free will currently available and to the scholarly debates shaping articulations of and responses to the problem under consideration. Structurally, the book represents a philosophical exchange (...) so that each chapter either foreshadows or responds to those surrounding it. While each chapter offers a unique snapshot image of the relationship between Buddhism and free will, Repetti's... (shrink)

In recent years, scholars have become increasingly interested in reconstructing a Buddhist stance on the free will problem. Since then, Buddhism has been variously described as implicitly hard determinist, paleo-compatibilist, neo-compatibilist and libertarian. Some scholars, however, question the legitimacy of Buddhist free will theorizing, arguing that Buddhism does not share sufficiently many presuppositions required to articulate the problem. This paper argues that, though Buddhist and Western versions of the free will problem are not perfectly isomorphic, a problem analogous to that (...) expressed in Western philosophy emerges within the Buddhist framework. This analogous problem concerns the difficulty of explaining karmic responsibility in a world governed by dependent origination. This paper seeks to reconstruct an approach to free will consistent with Madhyamaka philosophy and, in so doing, to demonstrate that the mutual exclusivity of positions such as hard determinism and libertarianism is, from the Madhyamaka perspective, merely superficial. By building on the perspectivalist theory advanced by Daniel Breyer, it is clear that a Madhyamaka stance on free will demands the wholesale abandonment of perspectives, such that the idea of any one solution as definitive is disavowed. Taken to its logical conclusion, therefore, perspectivalism entails the relative truth of perspectivalism itself. (shrink)

This article is a review of Carlo Alvaro's Raw Veganism: The Philosophy of the Human Diet. Alvaro offers interesting and novel arguments in support of raw veganism, but they are of varying quality. Raw Veganism relies too heavily on aesthetic-based arguments for veganism, which are inadequate for the task of motivating ethical veganism. At several points throughout the book, Alvaro tries to cultivate psychological aversion to animal products (e.g., describing eggs as coming out of the “rear end” of an animal) (...) as a means of promoting veganism when, in fact, a more careful philosophical argument is required. Despite certain shortcomings, which are pointed out in this review, Raw Veganism makes a valuable contribution to the literature and encourages the reader to think more critically about the merits of a raw diet. (shrink)

When SeaWorld was founded in 1959, the effects of captivity on cetaceans were not well understood. The 2013 release of Blackfish, however, brought modern research and ethics into public light. While some animal activists may rejoice in there being no future for SeaWorld, we argue that SeaWorld has an opportunity to reform itself and the greater “animal entertainment” industry by replacing captive animal shows with virtual and artificial reality. SeaWorld has already stopped breeding orcas and has committed to ending orca (...) shows. We argue it should now also commit to the end of other captive animal shows and we believe the proposed technological shifts could make this feasible. (shrink)