- My Focus -

Animal Ethics


Animal Ethics handles the implications on human behaviour towards animals and simply asks the question "how should we treat animals?".
Animal Ethics might be the most important topic in times of large-scale livestock farming and human overpopulation. At the very least it is the most important topic for me and a cause worth fighting for. Every step closer to general basic rights for animals (and all sentient beings) is a good step.
industrial fish farming showing numerous fish in a box

Conciousness


Consciousness is about all topics of the mind of human-animals and non-human animals. While not just asking "What is consciousness or intelligence", but also asking how we perceive the world, what implications does it have and what does it mean for ethics and morals.

.... And of course, we ask ourselves if we live in the matrix or not....
human head statue with different areas drawn on the scalp to show brain regions

Tech Ethics


Tech Ethics, at least in my case, foremost discusses topics of AI and Body- and Neuroenhancement. In detail it treatsimplications of human behavior towards AI and the other way around, as well as trying to create a base for future moral problems, like the questions "What makes us human?", "Can AI "evolve"?" or "Is it desirable to enhance your own body?".

This may be not only the most interesting, but also the most "sci-fi" aspect of moral fields, but nevertheless a very important area to work in, since the problems of tomorrow should be considered today and not when it's already too late.
brain half biological, half machine

- Recommendations-

Why we love Dogs eat Pigs and wear Cows

Melanie Joy

Animal Rights Ethics & Psychology

This book by psychologist Melanie Joy is eye opening. In it, she describes the psychology and history about why human eat meat in the horrible amounts like today. She introduces the word "carnism", contrary to Vegetarianism and Veganism and describes the true horrors of modern large-scale livestock farming.
This book is not for the faint-hearted in some parts, but nevertheless a must-read!

Zoopolis

Sue Donaldson & Will Kymlicka

Animal Rights Ethics & Political Theory

In Zoopolis the authors develop a political theory of animal citizenship. They ask the question what would happen if we would take the moral rights of animals seriously and offer a possible solution to give animals basic rights in dependence of their bonds to humans.
It is a very impressive book, which paints a possible, but maybe utopian, version of the future where human and animals live together in harmony and dignity.

Animal Liberation

Peter Singer

Animal Rights Ethics

One of the ground pillars of modern, not only of animal rights movement, but all animal advocacy, "Animal Liberation" talks about the abolition of today's animals in large-scale livestock farming. Philosopher Peter Singer made the term "speciesism" popular, while not inventing it. This philosophic term means prejudgments towards animals, similar to what racism is for people of other origins and sexism for people of other gender.
A classic basic work for everybody interested in animal advocacy.

Egotunnel

Thomas Metzinger

Conciousness

The "Egotunnel" is a theory, the philosopher Thomas Metzinger uses, to describe how we perceive the world. In his opinion, we only have but a virtual reality , which our brain constructs from the outside impulses the sensational organs deliver. We can never perceive the real reality outside of ourselves.
A very interesting book, which gives possible insight into how our consciousness could work.