Book Review:
Introduction to Animal Rights

by Gary Francione, Foreword by Alan Watson
Review by Neva Davis

What vegetarian or animal rights activist has not at some point been asked seemingly inane and annoying questions such as, "If your house was burning and you could only save your child or your dog, who would you save?" Or, "If you were shipwrecked and faced with starvation, would you kill and eat an animal?"

In his most recent book, Introduction to Animal Rights: Your Child or Your Dog, Gary Francione looks more deeply at such questions and finds that the questions, not the answers, tell us something about our society and our attitudes toward animals. All of these scenarios ask us if in an emergency situation would we give preference to human concerns over animal concerns. Francione astutely answers that not only would anyone save his own child from the burning house rather than the dog, he would also save his child instead of 12 other children. So, what does this have to do with animal rights?

The property status of animals in our society turns nearly every conflict of interest between human and nonhuman animals into a "burning house." The human desire to use an animal for economic gain or personal pleasure is considered more crucial than the animal's desire to not be killed, mutilated, or enslaved. Francione supports this conclusion with actual court cases. Historically, no matter how horrific the abuse of a nonhuman, society will not intervene if the abuse is part of a "reasonable" effort to make a profit. Cruelty, so long as it is an accepted business practice, is considered necessary and unavoidable. In effect, the property status of animals negates any benefits from animal welfare laws.

Using actual cases, including examples from human slavery, Introduction to Animal Rights demonstrates that all other rights are meaningless unless a human or nonhuman animal is granted the basic right not to be the property of another. In Francione's opinion, because animals are considered property, humane reforms have not improved conditions for them, nor will they ever be able to. This book forces activists to reconsider what they mean when they use the term "animal rights."

A must-read for everyone who cares about animals, this book contains vital information including law, statistics, and facts concerning animals in our society, as well as a brief history of animal rights philosophy. Also appropriate for individuals without an animal rights background, Introduction to Animal Rights steps away from the extremely dry writing style of Rain Without Thunder. Readers will enjoy the anecdotes and subtle humor that highlight the moral theory. Activists should appreciate the appendix containing common questions about animal rights and Francione's answers. So next time someone says, "But Hitler was a vegetarian," you'll have an answer ready.

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