Product Description

Suggest to the average leftist that animals should be part of broader liberation struggles and - once they stop laughing - you'll find yourself casually dismissed. Starting from this scepticism regarding animal liberation, Bob Torres draws broadly upon left theory to show how human oppression and animal oppression are intertwined through the exploitative dynamics of capitalism. With a focus on labour, property, and the life of commodities, Making a Killing contains key insights on the nature of domination, power, and hierarchy, and argues for a critical social theory that understands the human domination of nature in terms of the domination of human by human. An eye-opener for readers concerned with progressive politics, animal welfare or both. Concluding with an analysis of the political praxis of veganism, the book puts forth an abolitionist theory of animal rights that challenges thinking both within the broader left and the animal rights movement.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #85365 in Books
• Published on: 2008-01-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 185 pages

Review
"He's my kinda man." --Sarah Kramer, co-author, How it all Vegan

About the Author
Bob Torres is assistant professor of sociology at St. Lawrence University, received his PhD from Cornell, and is co-author of Vegan Freak: Being Vegan in a Non-Vegan World. His writings have appeared in Critical Sociology, The Journal of Latinos and Education, International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health, and Satya magazine.

Customer Reviews

The most interesting book on animal rights philosophy for sometime?
'With a focus on labour, property and the life of commodities, Making a Killing contains key insights into the broad nature of domination, power and hierarchy. It explores the intersections between human and animal oppressions in relation to the exploitative dynamics of capitalism.'

Not many books like this about, it looks at some of the structural issues at play which create and enforce the role of animals as objects to be utilised for the economic growth of society.

I've only just started reading it, but at last a book that seems to pull together different aspects of discrimination and exploitation under the capitalist umbrella. Animal rights is after all a lot more than just 'animal rights'!

Excellent and constructive read.
A really clear political exposition, which helps provide solid philosophical underpinnings to veganism and a way forward for animal rights' thinking which does not include a lot of "they're-just-like-us-no-they're-not" irrelevancies. Very readable, too! Highly recommended.

I fancy a steak....
Food. Animals. Rights. The only question not addressed in this well-written but uninformed book is a person's right to hunt and kill animals for survival. If a Lion can kill an antelope for food, why can't we kill animals to survive? The objection concerns our methods of killing and stresses the commercial and political faults rather than the basic assumption of the right to life of all species. In truth, no species has a right to life (the female praying mantis eats the head of the male in copulation. Does he complain about his right to have a head?. Life is an emergent property of this universe, not a gift. Written by an anarchist and published by an anarchist press, this book is merely one persons opinion, not a full account of historical, political, social and scientific theory and practice. Note that the author, while defending a right to life based on the exploits of capitalist commercialism, is satisfied with his words being printed on paper.