I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in animal ethics. Like many, I became interested in topics of animal rights and animal ethics after reading Peter Singer's Animal Liberation. Although I agree with Singer that our exploitation of animals is unwarranted, I am not a utilitarian, and I don't think pain/pleasure should be the primary measure for our ethical relationship with other creatures. To me, Kelly Oliver's Animal Lessons is interesting and refreshing because, unlike other books on animal ethics, the author does not rely on the language of "interests," "rights," or "speciesism" in her arguments. (In fact, Part I of the book is devoted to the problems and limitations of the rights discourse. I believe every animal rights activist should read Part I--perhaps it's time to reconsider the rhetoric and strategy of the animal "rights" movement!)
I will not rehearse the arguments of the book here. But the main thesis the author is advancing is that animals are our teachers. She demonstrates her thesis by examining the philosophical work of various thinkers (including Rousseau, Freud, Heidegger, Kristeva, and Derrida), and she shows both that animals figure prominently in their work and that, in an important sense, philosophers rely on animals to learn what it means to be human. I think her thesis is instructive to those of us who want to challenge the structure of animal exploitation in our society. Specifically, it's not enough to focus on what "rights" animals have against us humans, as if we could relate to animals only in a competitive way. It is important to see that we are in many ways indebted to the teaching of our animal friends (what the author calls "animal pedagogy"), and if we are willing to acknowledge our animal teachers, we will (hopefully) treat them properly and respectfully--like we would our human teachers.
To me, another important merit of this book is the writing style. The author's writing is eloquent, witty, and engaging. And let's not forget that the author engages with some notoriously challenging philosophical texts! It is impressive that the author makes these intimidating philosophical texts accessible and interesting--Animal Lessons is not just for scholars or academics, but anyone who is willing to learn.