The Posthumanist Dimension of the Novel Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk

This commentary aims to place the novel Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk within the framework of posthumanism, focusing on selected aspects of the theory. Particular attention shall be given to Tokarczuk’s criticism of human attitude towards nature, notably animals, as well as her unique perception of material objects which in the novel are endowed with uncanny agency. Not only does the novel’s protagonist exist in a close interconnectedness with all sentient beings, but she also displays a profound sensitivity to matter’s vitality. Tokarczuk stresses the importance of human corporeality which unites us intimately with all of existence and provides us with a deeper understanding of the world.

The Ambiguity of the Gender of Avalokiteśvara: A Comparative Study on the Representations of Avalokiteśvara from India and China during Sui-Tang-Period

Buddhism was transmitted to China during the Han Dynasty (202 BCE-220 CE) and integrated with existing Chinese cultures such as Confucianism and Taoism. Within Buddhism itself, Avalokiteśvara, a Bodhisattva who is believed to have made a great vow to assist sentient beings in times of difficulty and postpone his Buddhahood until he has assisted every sentient being in achieving nirvana, experienced a long process of change. One of the striking changes in the image of Avalokiteśvara in China is the shifting of the gender of Avalokiteśvara. The great Sui-Tang dynasties patronized Buddhism as a state cult during the more significant portion of their reign. Many scholars like Wu Yan, Jiao Jie, Sun Xiushen, Cui Feng, etc. observed that the Sui-Tang period was the turning point for the gender transformation of Kuan-yin.[1] In this paper, I am going to do a comparative study on the representations of Avalokiteśvara from both India and China broadly from the seventh to tenth centuries, to see how Kuan-yin transformed in China and whether there might be influences from India in the ways that Kuan-yin’s gender is constructed in the iconography.

O contato vaca-bezerro pós nascimento e o sistema de produção leiteira – revisão de literatura

Animal Welfare (BEA) is a practice that is in great evidence today and that began to be applied in the 60s, through the dissemination of the book Animals Machines, by Ruth Harrison and formation of the Brambell committee, in the United Kingdom United. The purpose of the publication was to sensitize readers and the population to a less anthropocentric view of animal production, through the proclamation of proven information that animals of other species are sentient beings, and that domestication is a transformative attitude capable of modifying , intrinsically, its genome with direct result in the production chain. In livestock farming, raising dairy heifers is of great importance for world production and the country's economy, as it is the area of agribusiness that employs the most and grows in Brazil, and therefore, careful care in the first hours after birth and throughout the period of breastfeeding are essential for a healthy physical development of these animals, as well as an adequate behavioral response for the species with an excellent economic result.

NEVER-ENDING LOCKDOWN

Today billions of animals live in zoos, farms, private homes, shops, markets, aquariums, circuses, laboratories, and many other institutions. Is it ethical to keep animals in captivity? Indeed, animals do not miss what they do not know, but this by no means can be used as a decent argument pro confinement. This article will argue that animals are sentient beings and deserve to live their lives to the fullest; it is irrelevant whether they are autonomous, provide any benefits, or have a 'special relationship' with humans. Humans often decide on the fate of those animals. As long as humans do not change their attitudes and/or develop empathy, sympathy and compassion towards all animals, there is no point in addressing any moral theory.

Minding the Gaps in Fish Welfare: The Untapped Potential of Fish Farm Workers

The welfare of farmed fish is often regarded with less concern than the welfare of other husbandry animals, as fish are not universally classified as sentient beings. In Norway, farmed fish and other husbandry animals are legally protected under the same laws. Additionally, the legislature has defined a number of aquaculture-specific amendments, including mandatory welfare courses for fish farmers who have a key role in securing animal welfare, also with regards to noting welfare challenges in the production process. This article uses fish welfare courses as a site from which to inquire about the common-sense understanding of fish welfare in Norwegian fish farming. The focus is specifically on fish farm employees, their experiences of welfare-related issues and contradictions in their daily work, and the struggle to act responsibly in aquaculture settings. Through participant observation at welfare courses, as well as interviews and conversations with fish farm workers, the article details how challenges are experienced ‘on the ground’, and suggests how fish farm workers’ own experiential knowledge might be mobilized to improve the general welfare of farmed fish.

A Perspective on Strategic Enrichment for Brain Development: Is This the Key to Animal Happiness?

Livestock animals are sentient beings with cognitive and emotional capacities and their brain development, similar to humans and other animal species, is affected by their surrounding environmental conditions. Current intensive production systems, through the restrictions of safely managing large numbers of animals, may not facilitate optimal neurological development which can contribute to negative affective states, abnormal behaviors, and reduce experiences of positive welfare states. Enrichment provision is likely necessary to enable animals to reach toward their neurological potential, optimizing their cognitive capacity and emotional intelligence, improving their ability to cope with stressors as well as experience positive affect. However, greater understanding of the neurological impacts of specific types of enrichment strategies is needed to ensure enrichment programs are effectively improving the individual's welfare. Enrichment programs during animal development that target key neurological pathways that may be most utilized by the individual within specific types of housing or management situations is proposed to result in the greatest positive impacts on animal welfare. Research within livestock animals is needed in this regard to ensure future deployment of enrichment for livestock animals is widespread and effective in enhancing their neurological capacities.

Contemplating the Five Domains model of animal welfare assessment: UK horse owner perceptions of equine well-being

Traditionally, assessment of animal welfare generally focused on physiological signs of health with less consideration of psychological well-being. More recently, the Five Domains model highlighted the concept of all aspects of an animal's life influencing their affective state. In equestrianism, however, there is a lack of awareness of the Five Domains model and, specifically, how different factors may affect the mental well-being of horses (Equus caballus). This divide between scientific research and lay horse owners could compromise equine welfare by failing to recognise horses as sentient beings with species-specific needs. The present study therefore aimed to explore how evidence-based information can be effectively communicated to equestrians (n = 259) through an online survey and whether increased knowledge of equine welfare needs has any impact on horse caregivers' assessment of their own horses' quality of life. Results showed that a simple educational infographic based on the Five Domains model had a significant impact on equestrians' assessment of equine welfare, although longitudinal, empirical studies are needed. Scores on a Likert scale for health, behaviour/human interactions and overall welfare were significantly lower following the intervention but scores for emotional well-being were significantly higher. This may suggest that, whilst the infographic increased participant awareness of the importance of emotional state and the factors affecting welfare, there were difficulties or inconsistencies in objectively assessing these emotions. This highlights the need for equine welfare science to be communicated more proactively to horse owners in an accessible, engaging format.

Should we Ascribe Capabilities to Species and Ecosystems? A Critical Analysis of Ecocentric Versions of the Capabilities Approach

Martha Nussbaum’s capabilities approach is today one of the most influential theories of justice. In her earlier works on the capabilities approach, Nussbaum only applies it to humans, but in later works she extends the capabilities approach to include sentient animals. Contrary to Nussbaum’s own view, some scholars, for example, David Schlosberg, Teea Kortetmäki and Daniel L. Crescenzo, want to extend the capabilities approach even further to include collective entities, such as species and ecosystems. Though I think we have strong reasons for preserving ecosystems and species within the capabilities approach, there are several problems with ascribing capabilities to them, especially if we connect it with the view that species and ecosystems are subjects of justice. These problems are partly a consequence of the fact that an ascription of capabilities to species and ecosystems needs to be based on an overlapping consensus between different comprehensive doctrines, in accordance with the framework of political liberalism on which the capabilities approach builds. First, the ascription of capabilities to species and ecosystems presupposes the controversial standpoint that they are objectively existing entities. Second, the ascription of capabilities to ecosystems and species and the view that they are subjects of justice is justified by claiming that they have integrity and agency, but these characteristics have different meanings when applied to collective entities and humans, respectively. Third, the view that species and ecosystems are subjects of justice seems to require the controversial assumption that they have interests of their own, which differ from the interests of the sentient beings that are part of them. However, even if we do not ascribe capabilities to species and ecosystems and regard them as subjects of justice, there are still strong reasons to protect them within the capabilities approach, as the preservation of ecosystems and species is an important precondition for many human and animal capabilities.

This Is My Body: A Reflection on Medical and Spiritual Distancing During the COVID19 Pandemic

As sentient beings and as patients, clinicians, and Catholics, we long for touch and union. With COVID19, the distancing inherent during the pandemic manifests itself in medical and spiritual ways as we yearn to connect with our patients, our physicians, and the Eucharist. Summary: As sentient beings and as patients, clinicians, and Catholics, we long for touch and union. With COVID19, the distancing inherent during the pandemic manifests itself in medical and spiritual ways as we yearn to connect with our patients, our physicians, and the Eucharist. COVID19 distancing manifests in medical & spiritual ways as we yearn to connect with our patients, our physicians, and the Eucharist.