New Podcast: Should Animal Advocates “Pretend To Be More Optimistic”?

An interview by Laurent Levy, host of The Other Animals

Podcast:
THE OTHER ANIMALS with Karen Davis & Stevan Harnad

Episode Description

“Every single objection to the experimental use of animals ... has been ignored and overridden by the scientific industry, and this is not going to change no matter how morally obnoxious, heartless and cruel to the members of other species," Karen Davis wrote after the transplant of a pig heart into a human. In response, Professor Stevan Harnad penned a response urging her to "pretend to be more optimistic." In this episode, we bring them both together for a compelling look at the role attitude and reality play in the Animal Rights movement.

Stevan Harnad, PhD Stevan Harnad is Canada Research Chair in Cognitive Sciences at the University of Quebec in Montreal and Professor of Web Science at the University of Southampton in the UK. He is Editor-in-Chief of the journal Animal Sentience launched by the Institute of Science and Policy of the HSUS. In addition to his blog Skywritings, he is increasingly active in animal welfare, animal rights, and animal law.

Karen Davis, PhD Karen Davis is the President and Founder of United Poultry Concerns, a nonprofit organization that promotes the compassionate and respectful treatment of domestic fowl including a sanctuary for chickens in Virginia. Inducted into the National Animal Rights Hall of Fame for Outstanding Contributions to Animal Liberation, Karen is the author of numerous books, essays, articles and campaigns.

To learn more about Dr. Stevan Harnad’s view of animal rights/vegan advocacy, please see his incisive interview with evolutionary biologist Marc Bekoff here:

Doing the Right Thing: An Interview With Stevan Harnad