《动物权利》书评

走出丛林几万年后，人类开始反思丛林法则

作为一本学究写就的论文，这本书在讲故事以及叙事上颇有讲究，可圈点之处甚多，堪称学者面向公众写作的范本。作者主要清算了下诸种为人类使用动物辩护的主张，毫无疑问他认为这从根本上来说是有罪的。但他好像也接受温和一些地对待动物，虽然实际上这也许只算是一种温和的奴隶主行为。人类考虑动物权利的历史，即是人类文明化的历程。一只流浪狗被当做食物被屠杀或者死于棍棒，到城管以”无痛方式“使其死亡，这自然是进步，但在Degrazia看来这显然不够。他倾向于认为感知能力本身就足以使一个人（或动物）拥有有价值的体验，而死亡会中断这种体验，因此，即便以无痛方式杀死流浪狗也是不合理的。本书带给我的问题是：在工业化生产遍布全球，以及对现代化的诸种反思背景下，人类也许会越来越文明地对待动物们（动物们的待遇并非随人类进化程度而一直变好，工业化农场里的鸡显然就比几百年前农庄里的前辈们凄惨许多）。那么会不会有天人类会做到将动物们当成兄弟姐妹——这首先得要求人类吃素，这点至少在目前看起来很难。问题是即便如此，人类与动物以及推而广之的万物乃至自然就可和谐共生？人类不再杀戮、虐待动物（即便是蚊子叮我我也会本能而优雅地弹开她并使其再不回头），文明的进步不再以自然的破坏为代价？有时我在技术上相信或许可以做到，但理性告诉我人类用了几千年的时间，但在面对贪婪、嫉妒以及一切人性弱点的问题上依旧毫无建树，那么怎能指望一个连自身毛病都搞不定的种群，能够让地球大和谐呢。

What becomes hard to bear: value-overriding

The mastery of convincing people is a subject of arts. We all achieve satisfaction and respect from people in the way of inculcating them with values of our own and gladly seeing them all receptive to yours. We might name the process of convincing people of our own values the ‘assimilation and self-realization’.Nevertheless, if it was undoubtful rejoicing of your values or ideas to gain consent from others, it ought not to be my obligation to put forward the topic, taking a stance of seriousness——when values become hard to bear. It is a matter of degree. It worths thinking.It strikes us shockingly on hearing several dozens of dogs or cats being abused to death by those publically condemned as ‘bad people’. However, what providing food for thought is, probably, the remaining miserable lives for the wrongdoers, which are usually reported on the newspaper. Especially for today when microblogs are widely being used, those animal-killers barely find anywhere to dodge the bullets of curse and their postboxs are overflooded with piles of letters of death threat, even in some cases, those championing for animal rights, day by day, swarm into their houses, and maliciously, insult, threat and beat them. Black and blue, they are overshadowed with the possible perpetuation of further fears, and do not have the strength to explain about their preceding violence to animal, seeing the dislocation of their limbs and these close-to-explode lumps and swells all over their body. Judging from this, there are apparently bunches of reasons for the violent conducts of those animal right champions, and the most profound and critical one is that animal rights defence is deeply embeded in their mind and worths fighting till the end, so there is absolutely no compatibly mild solution to animal abuse, which can be inexaggeratingly concluded as the value-overriding. Why is that? Once some good attempt have commonly been utilized as a seemingly effective way to ‘redress’ people’s wrong conduct by force, rather than as a moderate approach to educating them, imagine how horrible the world will be.To have a deep analysis on this event, certainly as an social epitome of value-overriding phenomenon, there is no denying of the value protecting animals from being abused is righteous. Despite this, have we ever searched our heart what if we failed in convincing people it is high time to be a vegetarian, practise no-wildlife-killing policy and no more rigid domestic-training of pets, does it infuriate you? Will you come up impulsively that those ignorant deserve severe punishment? What is likely the consequences of those abusers being through? Being physically punished and undergoing reputation collapse in the rest of their lives? It is easier in the modern society to emerge hundreds and thousands of so-called cynics and idealists. So here is an inevitable question——do we have to behave and word overcautiously to shy ourselves away from touching their sensitive nerve?I don’t mean to frighten people with so many terrible presumptions metioned above, neither do I try to discourage them to speak out for what they strongly side with. The appropriate ways are that, as I suggest, the idea providers, or the value sharers be moderate to convince, be resistent to oppress, be willing to listen, be rigorous to express.

工具价值

此书为中英文对照版，其重要价值不仅在于其内容上对动物权利焦点问题论争的简明扼要的概括，，更在于其所列参考文献进一步发掘国外文献的导引价值，以及动物权利基本英文词汇、概念的密集性提供。

罪恶之源

自残身体企图逃离险境的动物，生活在狭小空间被迫产奶产蛋产肉的动物，被人虐杀的动物，面对这些，你可曾为之落泪？很久之前见看过一个视频，那些拥有美丽皮毛的动物活生生的被人类砍掉四肢，剥皮。它们美丽的眼睛里湿漉漉的……看完这个视频发誓永远不穿裘皮不穿皮夹克，甚至皮鞋都不愿再买。看到活体取胆汁的熊发誓不吃动物成分的中药看完动物权利，我还能做什么呢？人类，万恶之源，罪恶之源，以身为人类为耻。本来，自然界有食物圈生物链，有的动物植食有的肉食，无可厚非。而随着人类的出现动物越来越少，生态环境越来越糟。食物，本来是让人愉悦的话题，可是现在一向肉食的我竟然打算改作素食者……商品社会，个体逐利行为，良知道德沦丧，法治滞后性和漏洞，监管不力……这些都是表象。本质是什么呢？恐怕是人类贪婪无度的欲望吧

争论始终没有结果

人类自诩为万兽之王，就可以居高临下地奴役和使用大自然了？佛教说的六道中有人道与畜生道，进入畜道的生灵是因为前生的业而沦落此道承受磨难？上帝将人按照自己的样子造出来，就意味着人有着高于其他生物一等的地位？以前的万兽之王——狮/虎，对其他动物的伤害不过为消除自己的饥饿。《Animal Farm》里的猪也说，人类是对自然索取最多，而对自然贡献最少的生物。人类有什么权利将自己的进步和福祉建立在其他动物的痛苦与死亡上呢？作为理科生，关于使用动物做实验的争论都见过不少。这种注定没有结论的问题，在本书中没能很好地解决也不足为奇。反对动物实验的人会说动物有感觉有生存和享受无痛楚生活的权利；支持动物实验的人会说你不用其他动物做实验难道用咱们人类自己来做实验你就没意见了？但我们终究只是人，不是其他动物。自由与动物园生活与饲养场的催熟养殖被人类污染的自然环境与人造环境其实不论在哪个地方，动物的生活都不能与几百年前相比了书的副标题是"A Very Short Introduction"，所以的确非常短小精悍。但本书至少给大家一个新的视觉，去看待我们身边被忽略的宠物与“理所当然”的盘中餐。