John Adenitire's guest appearances

John Adenitire

Our Hen House

Knowing Animals

Sentientism

Ingrid Newkirk

Kim Stallwood

Kristof Dhont

Jeff Sebo

Lori Gruen

Jo-Anne McArthur

Aysha Akhtar

Barbara J. King

Dale Jamieson

Katrina Fox

Jessica Pierce

Corey Lee

Rachel Krantz

Jane Velez-Mitchell

Ana Bradley

OwlTail

This week's episode of Knowing Animals features an interview with Dr John Adenitire, who is a lecturer in law at Queen Mary, University of London. We discuss John's paper "The Rule of Law for All Sentient Animals", which is forthcoming in the Canadian Journal of Law and Jurisprudence. This episode of Knowing Animals is brought to you by AASA (the Australasian Animal Studies Association) and the Animal Publics book series from Sydney University Press.

This week's episode of Knowing Animals features an interview with Dr John Adenitire, who is a lecturer in law at Queen Mary, University of London. We discuss John's paper "The Rule of Law for All Sentient Animals", which is forthcoming in the Canadian Journal of Law and Jurisprudence. This episode of Knowing Animals is brought to you by AASA (the Australasian Animal Studies Association) and the Animal Publics book series from Sydney University Press.

Episode 175: The rule of law for animals with John Adenitire

John Adenitire, PhD, joins the podcast this week for a truly fascinating episode about the philosophical underpinnings of animal law. A lawyer and a lecturer in the School of Law at Queen Mary University of London, John explains the differences between legal and moral philosophy, outlines the substantive theory of animal rights, and underscores why the rule of law is relevant, and crucial, to the lives of nonhuman animals. He also explores the role of animal welfare laws under current theories of philosophy of law and shares why those theories fail to protect the sentient beings who desperately need legal protection. John Adenitire, who was born in Nigeria and grew up in Italy, is now a Strategic Lecturer in the School of Law at Queen Mary University London and a Fellow of the Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences. He completed his PhD at the University of Cambridge, Faculty of Law, Fitzwilliam College. He has taught and researched at Cambridge, Durham, Birmingham, the UCL Constitution Unit, the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law, and the UK Commission on a Bill of Rights. In the beginning of this episode, we are honored to be joined by Peter Brandt, Senior Attorney for Farm Animal Litigation at the Humane Society of the United States who has played an instrumental role in fighting some of the most challenging cases of animal abuse in the last ten years. Peter joined us as a guest in episode 559 and we’ve invited him back now to read a section from his book, Indefensible: Adventures of a Farm Animal Protection Lawyer. The book is part memoir, part manifesto and chronicles the development of Peter’s awareness of factory farming and the harm it does not only to animals but to human health and the environment, especially  for those who live near them. “Once we recognize a certain being has sentience and important basic interests—interest in living, interest in being alive and free from torture and physical intervention, a life of freedom to do as as they please, within limits—then we should recognize that they have certain fundamental rights that the law should recognize.” – John Adenitire Interview Highlights:  The problems with various philosophical theories of the rule of law as they pertain to animals John’s alternative theory that animals should be seen as victims of arbitrary power Why aquatic animals are often left unprotected by law The difference between power and arbitrary power How the law works to protect the fundamental interests that humans and nonhuman animals share Why an adequate substantive theory of the rule of law would require enormous changes in the legal system How the rule of law could accommodate the need for different species to have different rights Are there certain situations where it would be justifiable for humans to kill animals and how should the law accommodate them?  Resources:  The Rule of Law for All Sentient Animals (pre-publication version) Peter Brandt’s Book: Indefensible: Adventures of a Farm Animal Protection Lawyer   Connect with John Adenitire:   John Adenitire on Twitter  Connect with Our Hen House:  Our Hen House Website Our Hen House on Facebook Our Hen House on Instagram Our Hen House on Twitter  __________________________  This episode is brought to you in part through the generosity of A Well-Fed World. A Well-Fed World provides the means for change by empowering individuals, social justice organizations, and political decision makers to embrace the benefits of plant-based foods and farming. Learn more at awfw.org. __________________________ You can listen to our podcast directly on our website, or subscribe on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcatcher! Also, if you like what you hear, please rate it and leave us a comment on Apple Podcasts! Of course, we would be thrilled if you would also consider making a donation, or becoming a member of our flock (especially if you’re a regular listener). Any amount is hugely appreciated, and Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible! Thank you for helping us create quality content, and for helping us bring you a new podcast episode each week! Don’t forget to tune into Our Hen House’s other two podcasts: The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and The Animal Law Podcast. The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.

John Adenitire, PhD, joins the podcast this week for a truly fascinating episode about the philosophical underpinnings of animal law. A lawyer and a lecturer in the School of Law at Queen Mary University of London, John explains the differences between legal and moral philosophy, outlines the substantive theory of animal rights, and underscores why the rule of law is relevant, and crucial, to the lives of nonhuman animals. He also explores the role of animal welfare laws under current theories of philosophy of law and shares why those theories fail to protect the sentient beings who desperately need legal protection. John Adenitire, who was born in Nigeria and grew up in Italy, is now a Strategic Lecturer in the School of Law at Queen Mary University London and a Fellow of the Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences. He completed his PhD at the University of Cambridge, Faculty of Law, Fitzwilliam College. He has taught and researched at Cambridge, Durham, Birmingham, the UCL Constitution Unit, the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law, and the UK Commission on a Bill of Rights. In the beginning of this episode, we are honored to be joined by Peter Brandt, Senior Attorney for Farm Animal Litigation at the <a href="https://www.humanesociety.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Humane Society of the United States</a> who has played an instrumental role in fighting some of the most challenging cases of animal abuse in the last ten years. Peter joined us as a guest in <a href="https://www.ourhenhouse.org/2020/09/ep559/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">episode 559</a> and we’ve invited him back now to read a section from his book, <a href="https://lanternpm.org/books/indefensible/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Indefensible: Adventures of a Farm Animal Protection Lawyer</a>. The book is part memoir, part manifesto and chronicles the development of Peter’s awareness of factory farming and the harm it does not only to animals but to human health and the environment, especially  for those who live near them. “Once we recognize a certain being has sentience and important basic interests—interest in living, interest in being alive and free from torture and physical intervention, a life of freedom to do as as they please, within limits—then we should recognize that they have certain fundamental rights that the law should recognize.” – John Adenitire Interview Highlights: <ul> <li>The problems with various philosophical theories of the rule of law as they pertain to animals</li> <li>John’s alternative theory that animals should be seen as victims of arbitrary power</li> <li>Why aquatic animals are often left unprotected by law</li> <li>The difference between power and arbitrary power</li> <li>How the law works to protect the fundamental interests that humans and nonhuman animals share</li> <li>Why an adequate substantive theory of the rule of law would require enormous changes in the legal system</li> <li>How the rule of law could accommodate the need for different species to have different rights</li> <li>Are there certain situations where it would be justifiable for humans to kill animals and how should the law accommodate them?</li> </ul> Resources: <ul> <li><a href="https://www.academia.edu/50988984/The_Rule_of_Law_for_All_Sentient_Animals" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">The Rule of Law for All Sentient Animals</a> (pre-publication version)</li> <li>Peter Brandt’s Book:<a href="https://lanternpm.org/books/indefensible/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank"> Indefensible: Adventures of a Farm Animal Protection Lawyer</a> <a href="https://www.academia.edu/50988984/The_Rule_of_Law_for_All_Sentient_Animals" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank"></a></li> </ul> Connect with John Adenitire: <ul> <li> <a href="https://twitter.com/JohnAdenitire" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">John Adenitire on Twitter</a></li> </ul> Connect with Our Hen House: <ul> <li><a href="https://www.ourhenhouse.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Our Hen House Website</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/OurHenHouse/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Our Hen House on Facebook</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.instagram.com/ourhenhouse/?hl=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Our Hen House on Instagram</a></li> <li><a href="https://twitter.com/ourhenhouse/statuses/1271155904805769216" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Our Hen House on Twitter</a></li> </ul> __________________________ This episode is brought to you in part through the generosity of <a href="http://awfw.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">A Well-Fed World</a>. A Well-Fed World provides the means for change by empowering individuals, social justice organizations, and political decision makers to embrace the benefits of plant-based foods and farming. Learn more at <a href="http://awfw.org" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">awfw.org</a>. __________________________ You can listen to our podcast directly on our website, or subscribe on <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/our-hen-house/id350069146" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Apple Podcasts</a> or your favorite podcatcher! Also, if you like what you hear, please rate it and leave us a comment on Apple Podcasts! Of course, we would be thrilled if you would also consider <a href="https://www.ourhenhouse.org/donate" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">making a donation</a>, or becoming a <a href="https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/ourhenhouse" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">member of our flock</a> (especially if you’re a regular listener). Any amount is hugely appreciated, and Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible! Thank you for helping us create quality content, and for helping us bring you a new podcast episode each week! Don’t forget to tune into Our Hen House’s other two podcasts: <a href="https://www.ourhenhouse.org/cooking/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast</a>, and <a href="https://www.ourhenhouse.org/animallaw/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">The Animal Law Podcast</a>. The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by <a href="http://michaelharren.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Michael Harren</a>.

Episode 606: If the Law Took Animals Seriously, ft. Dr. John Adenitire

John shares his story, from being a devout Pentecostalist Sunday School Teacher in Nigeria to being a Sentientist, atheist, vegan academic and author. Video version here. John is Strategic Lecturer in the School of Law and a Fellow of the Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences at Queen Mary University of London. He is a cellist and dancer. We discuss:  John growing up in Nigeria, then Italy in an evangelical, pentecostal family (both parents are missionaries and reverends) and community Being a sunday school teacher and devout believer Challenging those beliefs as a teenager, both re: evidence and ethics (e.g. rejecting religious homophobia) The rich integration of Nigerian culture, racial identity and religion and how that made leaving religion behind a difficult struggle Finding the courage to be open with parents who are very deeply involved with the church How some religious communities accept non-believing, “cultural” community members while others reject those who drop their supernatural beliefs Veganism being seen as a rejection of a culture rather than an individual moral choice How having freedom, time and distance from our culture can help us assess and improve our worldview Value as the foundation of ethics, not religion. Value comes first A pluralistic conception of value from the perspective of each individual: community, family, friendship, relationships, experiences Sentience as a sufficient ground for considering a being valuable because they have a perspective. Things can go better or worse for them. Morality is caring about that perspective of others Whether non-sentient beings have intrinsic or just instrumental value Is beauty of value even if no sentient ever experiences it? Let’s not destroy the Mona Lisa just to be safe The danger of bio/eco centrism and environmentalism neglecting or even harming sentient beings while trying to protect non-sentient things The full richness of sentient experience. Not just pleasure and pain – but aethetics, awe, wonder, connectedness and love The importance of setting a philosophical baseline of moral consideration for all sentients. But how even that baseline is the product of deep philosophical thinking by intellectual giants (e.g. Bentham) Why most of the 8 billion people on the planet disagree with Sentientism The importance of ensuring that our confidence in naturalism doesn’t lead to our own dogma or closed-mindedness or arrogance The importance of humility and receptiveness and open-mindedness and constructive conversation Compassion even for people you disagree with Basing our ethics on a naturalistic understanding of sentience and sentient beings How to get to a Sentientist future. Facts and logic won’t be enough… our emotional reactions come first, philosophy follows Empathy as a way to engage people emotionally Helping people be more ready change by setting a good, “normal” example Making better ethics the easier choice Once people have taken easier, better ethical choices they might upgrade their ethics Freedom of belief, but not freedom to use those beliefs to harm When you see something as more important than suffering and death, you tend to get quite a lot of suffering and death Law is there to restrict freedom to protect others We already grant rights to corporations and rivers, why not extend them to non-human animals? How the law and rights fields can help drive positive change.   John at QMUL. @JohnAdenitire. sentientism.info. FBook.

John shares his story, from being a devout Pentecostalist Sunday School Teacher in Nigeria to being a Sentientist, atheist, vegan academic and author. Video version here. John is Strategic Lecturer in the School of Law and a Fellow of the Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences at Queen Mary University of London. He is a cellist and dancer. We discuss: <ul> <li>John growing up in Nigeria, then Italy in an evangelical, pentecostal family (both parents are missionaries and reverends) and community</li> <li>Being a sunday school teacher and devout believer</li> <li>Challenging those beliefs as a teenager, both re: evidence and ethics (e.g. rejecting religious homophobia)</li> <li>The rich integration of Nigerian culture, racial identity and religion and how that made leaving religion behind a difficult struggle</li> <li>Finding the courage to be open with parents who are very deeply involved with the church</li> <li>How some religious communities accept non-believing, “cultural” community members while others reject those who drop their supernatural beliefs</li> <li>Veganism being seen as a rejection of a culture rather than an individual moral choice</li> <li>How having freedom, time and distance from our culture can help us assess and improve our worldview</li> <li>Value as the foundation of ethics, not religion. Value comes first</li> <li>A pluralistic conception of value from the perspective of each individual: community, family, friendship, relationships, experiences</li> <li>Sentience as a sufficient ground for considering a being valuable because they have a perspective. Things can go better or worse for them. Morality is caring about that perspective of others</li> <li>Whether non-sentient beings have intrinsic or just instrumental value</li> <li>Is beauty of value even if no sentient ever experiences it? Let’s not destroy the Mona Lisa just to be safe</li> <li>The danger of bio/eco centrism and environmentalism neglecting or even harming sentient beings while trying to protect non-sentient things</li> <li>The full richness of sentient experience. Not just pleasure and pain – but aethetics, awe, wonder, connectedness and love</li> <li>The importance of setting a philosophical baseline of moral consideration for all sentients. But how even that baseline is the product of deep philosophical thinking by intellectual giants (e.g. Bentham)</li> <li>Why most of the 8 billion people on the planet disagree with Sentientism</li> <li>The importance of ensuring that our confidence in naturalism doesn’t lead to our own dogma or closed-mindedness or arrogance</li> <li>The importance of humility and receptiveness and open-mindedness and constructive conversation</li> <li>Compassion even for people you disagree with</li> <li>Basing our ethics on a naturalistic understanding of sentience and sentient beings</li> <li>How to get to a Sentientist future. Facts and logic won’t be enough… our emotional reactions come first, philosophy follows</li> <li>Empathy as a way to engage people emotionally</li> <li>Helping people be more ready change by setting a good, “normal” example</li> <li>Making better ethics the easier choice</li> <li>Once people have taken easier, better ethical choices they might upgrade their ethics</li> <li>Freedom of belief, but not freedom to use those beliefs to harm</li> <li>When you see something as more important than suffering and death, you tend to get quite a lot of suffering and death</li> <li>Law is there to restrict freedom to protect others</li> <li>We already grant rights to corporations and rivers, why not extend them to non-human animals?</li> <li>How the law and rights fields can help drive positive change.</li> </ul> <a href="https://www.qmul.ac.uk/law/people/academic-staff/items/adenitire.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">John at QMUL</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/JohnAdenitire" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">@JohnAdenitire</a>. <a href="http://sentientism.info" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">sentientism.info</a>. FBook.

7: From Devout Sunday School Teacher to Atheist, Vegan, Sentientist Academic and Author - Sentientist Conversations - John Adenitire