Empty Cages: Facing the Challenge of Animal Rights

This introductory book summarized Mr. Regan's idea of animal rights in a very accessible way. The stories of his own "muddler's" journey were fun to read.

I honestly can not think of a book that I have enjoyed more than this one in my lifetime. I am already an ARA, but I think this book is written in a way that it would be a perfect choice for someone asking the question, "What exactly is animal rights, and what do animal rights activists want us to change?' Clearly and non-condescendingly written and thought provoking, this book might just change your world-view. Buy this book today. [...]

Tom Regan,is a professor of philosophy at North Carolina State University, and he doesnt come off as some goody two shoes who has all the answers, but the questions he asks and how he came to his views are what made the book interesting to me. In the beginning he thought like most of us that animals were here for our convenience. He notes his meat eating, zoo visiting and leather, fur purchases, which makes him more 'real' to me since I do and have done the same. And yes he did read the works of Mohandas Gandhiand Gandhi's views on the treatment of animals.He writes of the factory farms and how the majority of animals are raised for food and entertainment. And how science misuses millions of animals yearly. Rats and mice are animals. Now I feel a tad hypocritical because I still eat meat. But I also live a rural existence and meat isn't a daily or often a weekly choice. And I have benefited from animals who were sacrificed for years so my son could have insulin as a baby. I wear leather shoes which I repair over and over.The book has more positive than negative value. For me the issues that seemed to have no answer were how do you get billions of people world wide to stop eating animals, and what happens to all the domestic and farm animals in a perfect world who suddenly are not harvested for food? And what about animals that are killed to feed cats and dogs?And what about the whole idea of the human animal being killed in wars? Or not being allowed to die from disease, but instead, often kept alive at a cost of millions per person?

Tom Regan has made his name through relentless philosophical rigor. However, Empty Cages is not written in the style of The Case for Animal Rights. In Empty Cages, Regan pulls out the core his philosophical argument and infuses it into a public friendly form. This book is written for the general public and is highly accessible. It is meant to speak not only to the animal rights faithful, but to those who have not fully considered the issue. Among the highlights of this book is Regan's story about his personal relationship to animal rights. Regan tells of how his current views evolved, and in doing so empathizes those who have yet to make the move to animal rights. Regan's none judgmental style will make this work a remarkably effective tool in spreading the message of animal rights. Indeed, I believe Empty Cages can and should replace Singer's Animal Liberation as the flagship introduction to the movement.If you're unsure about the merits of animal rights then read this book.Those of us who already believe in animal rights need to put this book in the hands of friends, family, co-workers, and local libraries.

This is a truly exceptional, and excellent, book. It is the best introduction to ethics and animals issues out there. Regan explains how he came to believe that animals have moral rights that make it wrong to eat, wear and experiment on them, and how he became involved in the growing movement to advance that cause. The book is really like no other; check out the book's companion webpage at http://tomregan-animalrights.com The book is highly readable and accessible, unlike a more standard strictly philosophical (and academic) discussion of the issues.