Events

The conference built upon the founding principal contention of the EASE working group - that the recognition of other animals as ethically significant beings is both a necessary part of a sound understanding of human interactions with other animals, and a moral imperative. Our particular model of qualitative Anthrozoology places emphasis on (i) an empathetic ‘living with’ (symbiosis) or alongside other animals (either physically, for example with rescued companion animals or through working to improve the lives of animals in our daily lives, or indirectly, for example through ethical consumerism), (ii) a respect for other animals as autonomous subjects, (iii) an attempt to grasp, wherever possible, the perspectives of our otherthanhuman research subjects as well as those of our human subjects, and (iv) a holistic understanding of the context within which interactions occur. Moreover, we suggest that (v) academic research concerned with understanding these trans-species interactions should have some meaningful, practical application and ultimately improve the lives of our research subjects. It was proposed that Anthrozoology should be reframed as Symbiotic Ethics, to acknowledge the inextricable connections we share with other life forms at a time when our collective futures hang precariously in the balance.