Do animals have rights? If they do, how do we know? If they don't, how can we minimize cruelty and suffering? Does libertarianism or non-aggression have anything to say about this?
Animals do not hav
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e rights: Walter E. Block is Harold E. Wirth Endowed Chair and Professor of Economics, College of Business, Loyola University New Orleans, and senior fellow at the Mises Institute. He earned his PhD in economics at Columbia University in 1972. He has taught at Rutgers, SUNY Stony Brook, Baruch CUNY, Holy Cross and the University of Central Arkansas. He is the author of almost 500 refereed articles in professional journals, two dozen books, and thousands of op eds. Block counts among his friends Ron Paul and Murray Rothbard. He was converted to libertarianism by Ayn Rand. Block is old enough to have once met Ludwig von Mises, and shaken his hand. Block has never washed that hand since. So, if you shake his hand (it’s pretty dirty, but what the heck) you channel Mises.
Animals have rights: Thomas Raskin is a rising Young Fellow at the Friends Committee on National Legislation in Washington, DC. He has written for The Nation, Antiwar.com, and the Good Men Project and has interviewed Ralph Nader and Sheldon Richman about militarism. As a vegan and animal advocate, Thomas also published a piece for the Molinari Institute in July responding to Prof. Block's position on animals. Follow him @TommyRaskin and tommyraskin.org.
Moderator: Lucy Steigerwald, editor at Young Voices, contributing editor at Antiwar.com. Her work has appeared in VICE, The Daily Beast, Reason, Playboy, the American Conservative, and more.
