Martha C. Nussbaum, Justice for Animals: Our Collective Responsibility

Justice for Animals is a idealistic manifesto for non-human animal rights grounded not in science or economics, but rather in philosophy. The author is Martha Nussbaum who received her Ph.D. in classical philology and now is the Ernst Fruend Professor of Law and Ethics at the University of Chicago. Justice for Animals argues for using the “Capabilities Approach (CA)” to grant species, and individual organisms, additional rights and protections from injustice. The book’s last paragraph summarizes its goal, “I hope that readers will be moved to make a choice for justice and become lovers of animal life” p. 317. Professor Nussbaum’s goal of love of—and compassion toward—non-human animals is similar to that of various non-profit organizations. For example, PETA’s (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) mission statement includes: