Effective Animal Advocacy

Abstract

Effective animal advocates attempt to use evidence and reason to do the most good possible in animal advocacy. In this course we examine this approach to animal advocacy from theoretical as well as practical perspectives. First, what does it mean to do the most good possible, and how do effective animal advocates attempt to pursue this aim? Second, what are the main theoretical objections to effective animal advocacy? For example, does it involve too much cluelessness, demandingness, or implausibility? Third, what are the main practical objections to effective animal advocacy? For example, does it focus too much on direct, short-term, individual change and not enough on indirect, long-term, structural change? Along the way we will consider broader moral and political questions related to effective animal advocacy.