Melanie Challenger, Co-creating Co-existence in a Multispecies World: How Do We Do It?
July 27 2024, 17:00 BST/ 12:00 ET/ 09:00 PT (5pm BST/ 12pm ET/ 9am PT)
Co-creating co-existence in a multispecies world: How do we do it?
Melanie, in this lecture, will discuss how human activities jeopardize the future of thousands of species and how millions of animals are caught up in human economic and food systems, often enduring life-limiting circumstances. These activities impact the wider landscapes and ecologies shared by Earth's species, undermining the planet’s life. The exploitation of other life forms and the shared resources of the planet is increasing, and general trends around biodiversity remain bleak.
This lecture introduces audiences to a new international project based at NYU aimed at studying, designing, and evaluating how we communicate with other species, take their perspectives, represent their interests, and include them in our decisions to help shape a fairer and more compassionate world. At the heart of this approach is the evidence that taking the perspectives of others is a powerful and effective tool for problem-solving and coexistence. The project works to understand every part of the process of inclusion, from the science on preferences to the methods and frameworks for policy and governance.
About the speaker
Melanie Challenger, writer and bioethicist, Deputy Co-Chair of Nuffield Council and Co-Director of CIRCE and Animals in the Room.
Melanie Challenger writes and broadcasts on environmental history, the philosophy and history of science, and the relationship of humans to the living world. Her books include How to Be Animal: What It Means to Be Human and Animal Dignity: Philosophical Reflections on Nonhuman Existence.
