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no. 16_april 2023

On Education

editorial: animals in education: ethical perspectives

The contributions to this issue of on_education develop ethical perspectives on the role of animals in education. In so doing, the authors engage with normative and empirical questions such as the following: What should parents and schools teach children about the consumption of animals and/or their use as clothing, for product testing, and in scientific research (among other uses)? Should schools offer animal rights education? Is it morally acceptable for schools to offer meat and/or other animal products, or should schools offer vegetarian or vegan meals only? And what do parents and schools in fact convey to children about animals and the human-animal relationship, about ‘essential’ differences and commonalities between animals and human beings, and (on that basis) about animals’ moral and political standing relative to human beings’ moral and political standing?

Kai Horsthemke

anti-speciesist education

Animal ethics is a rather novel area of practical concern and research interest within philosophy of education. In recent years, environmental and humane education, which have tended to be governed by a largely anthropocentric orientation, have been augmented by approaches with a more theriocentric, egalitarian focus: critical animal studies, critical animal pedagogy, animal standpoint theory, vegan education, and animal rights education. This essay develops a pedagogical approach inspired by the two-pronged case for animals’ equal consideration, the argument from marginal cases and the argument from speciesism.

Eva Meijer

developing multispecies education with children and animals

In order to be able to deal with the challenges of the Anthropocene, and for reasons of justice, humans have to learn to live differently with other animals. Multispecies education, in which animals of different species learn from and with one another, is an important part of this project. The voices of animals and children should be at the front of developing new practices and institutions, for epistemological and democratic reasons. This essay sketches how we can develop new practices of multispecies education, and reflects on the questions at stake with a group of children.

Gail F. Melson

children’s moral reasoning about animals: implications for development and education

Human interaction with other animal species is morally complex. Some animals are beloved pets who are considered members of the family. Other animals are food and clothing products for human consumption. Still other animals are viewed as pests to be eradicated or by contrast, as fascinating even mythologized characters. Thus, moral reasoning about human involvement with animals is inherently complex as well. Yet, theory and research on children’s moral reasoning has been anthropocentric, focused solely on relations among humans. A review of moral reasoning about human-animal interaction reveals how children are reasoning about moral rights and demands across, not just within, species. This broader, biocentric perspective calls attention to a morality of care. Integration of moral reasoning in educational contexts involving animals is urged.

Marvin Giehl

conceal or convey? reflecting on the impact of pedagogical practice on the attitude towards nonhuman animals

As the popularity of vegetarianism and veganism increases, there are also more and more studies on the subject. Research is being conducted, for example, into the motives behind this lifestyle. In most cases, a decision to adopt a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle represents a break with previous upbringing and socialization. But how exactly and on the basis of which means do these educational practices operate and function in the first place? In this article, I discuss the potential impact of different pedagogical practices on the attitudes of humans towards nonhuman animals. As I show, there are various situations in which a person learns speciesist attitudes over the course of his life.

Andreas Hübner and André Krebber

rethinking animal ethics through mutual understanding: towards an education of radical responsibility

Animals are the closest human link to nature, which makes animal ethics key to a responsible education in the 21st century. They provide a lens for recalibrating our understanding of society and social relationships as well as societal relationships to animals and nature. A capacity that we already have in relation to animals but reject is at the heart of this role: our capacity for mutual understanding. Hence, we argue for an animal-ethics education that reconfigures the animal ethics of old in response to the insights of our current historical situation and that takes seriously our understanding with animals. What emerges from this is a stance of radical responsibility that challenges an anthropocentric responsibility and human preoccupation with a responsibility of leading, dictating and establishing facts. Recognizing our capacity for mutual understanding across species-boundaries is key to this radical, non-anthropocentric responsibility.

Amélie Lipp and Michel Vidal

animal welfare education: promoting a critical and creative dialogue between a zoocentric and an anthropocentric relationship

This essay positions the relationship between human and other-than-human animals as a central anchor point for animal welfare education in agricultural vocational training. This relationship is a potential source of tension between the intentions of production and the breeder’s disposition to be touched and affected by these animals. The resonant experiences between humans and other-than-human animals, in the sense of Hartmut Rosa (2018a), are, in our opinion, a fruitful way to help future animal breeders to find other possible ways of relating to the world than those imposed by the acceleration and alienation that characterise the dominant animal husbandry systems in Europe. We explore and discuss the transformative potential of educational activities that promote critical, creative, ethical and embodied dialogue.

Joachim Nieuwland and Franck Meijboom

know your animal: knowing animals within veterinary scientific education

What does it take to know nonhuman animals? In this essay, we explore diverse ways of knowing animals in veterinary education, bringing out biases and preconceptions that determine not only which animals are known, but also how they are known. Contemplative pedagogy engenders a more holistic way of knowing by fostering one’s ability to be truly present with others.

Reingard Spannring

critical animal pedagogy: liberating the nonhuman learner?

This essay discusses the nonhuman learner in the context of critical animal pedagogy. While critical animal pedagogy (CAP) aims to liberate nonhumans from human oppression and exploitation, applying the notions of liberation and learning to nonhumans is not straightforward. In particular, the dichotomy between educating humans and training nonhumans represents an unwarranted speciesism that should not be reproduced by CAP.

Karin Gunnarsson Dinker

eating for the future: critical animal pedagogies and vegan education

This essay draws on recent vegan interventions in education, mainly in a European and compulsory education context. Vegan meals are increasingly being served in schools for sustainability and health reasons, though for the children animal ethics may be an equally or even more important aspect. The growing number of vegan children is pushing for their needs to be met. There are nowadays even some all-vegan schools. How can vegan education pave the way for the ethical treatment of animals while strengthening its position within education for sustainable development and, in the longer run, change norms in and beyond education?

animals in education: ethical perspectives

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