While examining this blog's statistics, I noticed that several people came here from a German site. Thank you. I will add a link to the blogroll MORE

According to this study published today in the British Journal of Medicine , "Higher IQ at age 10 years was associated with an increased likelihood of being vegetarian at age 30." The study gathered data from 8,170 men and women 30 years of age who are ongoing participants in the 1970 British cohort study. MORE

See here MORE

Here are the posts from November 2006 MORE

It's been 25 years to the day since I ate turkey. I gave it up on 31 December 1981. Consequently, no turkey has suffered or died on my account for the past quarter century. Addendum: Sometimes, in talking to omnivores, I get the sense that they feel impotent. They can't solve the problem of animal suffering all by themselves, so they throw up their hands in defeat and go on eating meat. But that's not the only way to look at it, and I would argue that it's not the right way. MORE

Peaceful Prairie Sanctuary has put up a billboard in downtown Denver. See here MORE

On this Christmas holiday, Christians would do well to reflect on what their faith teaches about the moral status of animals. Here is a New York Times story about St Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals. Here is a website that contains information about St Francis. If you're a Christian, please reflect on the following. Your religion does not require that you eat animals. It may not forbid it, but it doesn't require it. MORE

Mark Spahn, a longtime reader of my AnalPhilosopher blog, thinks it’s question-begging to use “who” (instead of “that”) to refer to animals. I agree. To beg a question, in the philosophical sense, is to assume what needs to be proved. The question (presumably) is whether animals have moral status, i.e., whether the interests of animals must be taken into account in our deliberations. Using “who” assumes that the being in question has moral status (even if not full-blown personhood). MORE

Abstention from beef is overdetermined. If you care only about cows, you will not eat beef. If you care only about the environment, you will not eat beef. If you care only about human beings (present and future), you will not eat beef. If you care only about your health, you will not eat beef. See here MORE

According to this Associated Press story, if you are wearing a Sean John jacket with fur trim purchased from Macy's, that trim might have come from a dog indigenous to Asia known as a "raccoon dog." These dogs (pictured here ) phenotypically resemble raccoons in that they have relatively short legs and bushy fur (and sometimes even have facial markings resembling raccoons), but despite their appearance, they are dogs. They belong to the canine species Nyctereutes procyonoides. MORE

He received the highest score in both my fall 2005 Social and Political Philosophy course and my spring 2006 Ethics course. This blog has a new member: my former (and perhaps future) student Jonathan Hubbell. Jonathan is a philosophy major at the University of Texas at Arlington , where I have been a professor since the fall of 1989. Like many people (including me), he fell in love with the discipline almost as soon as he discovered it. MORE

Here are the posts from October 2006 MORE

Keith: What I call "editorializing by adverb" is the practice of inserting an adverb into a statement to make an assertion without seeming to make an assertion. Example: A reference to "still undemocratic Iraq" makes the assertion that eventually Iraq will be democratic. But typically the writer will not stop to argue in favor of this assertion, hoping by the subtle use of an adverb to escape the need of justifying his assertion. MORE

Fur is in. See here MORE

Jonathan Hubbell, a philosophy major at the University of Texas at Arlington, is the newest member of the Animal Ethics blog, and once again, I would like to welcome him aboard. Like Keith, I think it will be interesting and instructive to observe as Jonathan works through his views on the myriad of ethical issues that surround our current treatment of animals. MORE

Like the site—you might like to see my post on Cairo zoo. mary beard MORE

Hello!! We are an animal welfare group working for animals in India— www.hopeandanimal.org we have tie up with a US based company for fund raising—If you buy pet products from www.petmedusa.net 10% of sale proceeds are donated to our organisation—Pls Bid and buy the product. with regards, Praveen Ohal MORE

Hi there, I'm Jonathan. First of all, I would like to thank Keith for inviting me to be a part of this blog. I think it is an honor to be offered the opportunity to post on here with him and Mylan. Keith has not only been my favorite Philosophy professor that I have studied under during the course of my college experience, but my favorite professor in general. I admire him both for his patient and clear way of conveying material, and for the humble manner in which he equates himself to God. MORE

Welcome aboard, Jonathan! I'm looking forward to reading your posts. Best, Mylan MORE

Here is a New York Times story about the tracking and containment of livestock disease MORE

The New York Times does one thing well. It keeps its readers abreast of goings-on in the animal kingdom. Here is a story about the plight of the turtle MORE

13, 2006To the Editor: Re “ Plan for Tracking Animals Meets Farmers’ Resistance ” (news article, Dec. 13): I live in rural Pennsylvania. I have one older riding horse and occasionally some laying hens. All these would have to be tagged if the National Animal Identification System becomes mandatory, and for no purpose, because none of my animals will be sold overseas for food. MORE

Hi there, I've enjoyed reading your blog and appreciate the articles you've posted and the thoughts you've provoked in your readers. I just wanted to introduce myself, as I thought you might be interested in knowing about my organization, Compassionate Cooks , and perhaps add us to your Links list. The mission of Compassionate Cooks is to empower people to make informed food choices and to debunk myths about veganism. MORE

Kansans are fighting over prairie dogs—or what Lewis and Clark quaintly called "barking squirrels." See here MORE

7, 2006To the Editor: I wish that I could better understand the recent trend of anthropomorphizing dogs. Is this a reflection of our society? Our dogs have a better standard of living than millions of people in other parts of the world. I had two dogs growing up, and I remember their being thrilled with a dirty old tennis ball or a dip in the somewhat murky town pond. While I do understand the need for companionship, especially in New York, this dog obsession has gone too far. MORE

8, 2006 The writer is director of the Field Veterinary Program, Wildlife Conservation Society To the Editor: Re “ Ebola Imperils Gorilla Species in Congo Republic ” (news article, Dec. 8): Increasingly, we are observing that our efforts to reach sustainable balances for wildlife populations are being confounded by the spread of infectious disease. Historically, these diseases have been studied only when they affect human populations or domestic animals. MORE

Here is a New York Times op-ed column about the safety of the food supply MORE

Here is a New York Times op-ed column about companion animals MORE

Hi Keith and Mylan, A new think tank has been set up in Britain dealing entirely with animal ethics issues. The website is here. And a newspaper article about it is here. Neither of you seem to be affiliated with this group. Perhaps you should get into contact with them as you both seem to fit the bill. Yours Sincerely Peter Wilkinson MORE

Here is a New York Times story about poaching, which is a matter of illegality rather than immorality, but I thought it would be of interest to this blog's readers MORE

Here is a New York Times editorial opinion about organic fish. The Times argues that the concept of organic food does not apply to wild animals. It is designed to distinguish between two types of farming. Note that this debate is independent of the debate about the moral permissibility of eating fish. If organically raised fish suffer less than nonorganically raised fish, it is an accident, morally speaking. MORE

Here is a column about man's (and woman's) best friend MORE

The previous best month (March 2006) had 1,730 visitors (55.8 This blog had 2,325 visitors during November, which is an average of 77.5 visitors per day—which projects to 28,287.5 visitors per year. That is by far the most visitors during any month of the blog's three-year existence. per day). I attribute the increased interest to Mylan Engel's presence. His posts—the first of which appeared on 15 October—are well-argued, well-written, interesting, and topical. MORE

Bush signed the “ Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act ” into law this past Monday (November 27, 2006). On September 30, 2006, Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) introduced Senate Bill S. On September 30, 2006, the Senate passed S. The Senate version of the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act is the version that President Bush signed into law Monday, November 27, 2006. With surprisingly little fanfare, President George W. MORE

Are hunters a vanishing breed? If so, is that a good thing? See here. Addendum: "Nimrod" is both a name and (without capitalization) a noun. Why do you suppose the latter is pejorative MORE

Here is the latest issue (winter 2006) of The Prairie Progress, which is the newsletter of Peaceful Prairie Sanctuary MORE

See here MORE

In my earlier post "Children and Heart Disease" available here , I noted that, in the seventh and final edition of Dr. Spock's Baby and Child Care: A Handbook for Parents of the Developing Child from Birth to Adolescence , Dr. Benjamin Spock no longer recommends feeding animal products to children after two years of age. According to Dr. Spock: Most families have become more conscious about the fat content of meats, and many are choosing the lower-fat cuts. MORE

My friend and co-blogger, Mylan Engel, is too humble to draw attention to himself, so allow me to draw attention to him. See here. Good work, Mylan! I know you're an atheist, as I am, but I like to think that if we're wrong, and there really is a god, he or she will save all and only those who cared for animals. Come to think of it, maybe god is an animal, in which case those who eat animals are in Big Trouble MORE

Here are the posts from September 2006 MORE

As another year comes to a close, most of us find ourselves reflecting on our lives and resolving to improve ourselves and our lives in various ways. These resolutions typically fall into one of two categories: (1) resolutions to acquire some desirable trait or better-making habit, e.g., resolving to exercise regularly; and (2) resolutions to eliminate some undesirable trait or worse-making habit, e.g., resolving to quit smoking. MORE

I started this blog three years ago today. Here is the first post. Mylan Engel must have told me that he would join the blog, but it took him almost three years to do so! I'm glad he came aboard. The current month is the best yet, in terms of number of visitors. My own interest in the blog has increased as a result of Mylan's presence. There have been 42,820 visitors to the blog in three years. That's an average of 39 visitors per day. During much of that time, I posted only rarely. MORE

Here are the posts from December 2006 MORE