Abstract
This thesis tackles the dichotomy between animalism and conservation: that is, between
the view that the health of ecosystems ought to be prioritized and the view that
intrinsically valuable individual animals ought to be respected. This thesis is not a
discussion of ethical theory and does not present arguments about the moral
permissibility of conservation practices. Instead, this is a presentation of new directions
for animal justice in a multispecies world such that animals can be respected while
ecosystems are valued.
I analyse the theories of justice put forth by John Rawls (1972, 2001), Amartya Sen
(2008, 2009), Martha Nussbaum (2006) and Robert Garner (2013). From this, I
illustrate a gap in these theories pertaining to their accounts of human-animal
relationships. Therefore, I launch a qualitative study utilizing the methodology of
Engaged Philosophy. This involves interviews with participants who work in animal-
related fields across the spectrum of animalism (animal welfare, animal rescue, animal
health, etc.) and conservation (conservation rangers, conservation science
communicators etc.). Through this study, I put forward the Central Idea of Connected
Concerns, which speaks to the reflexive connections between human and non-human
entities.
I suggest that theories of justice require a shift of focus from sentience to relationships
in order to account for animals and other non-human entities. I argue for the embedded
individual and the concept of anthroinclusivism, both of which taking the individual as
inseparable from their connections. I clarify these ideas through an analysis of Sue
Donaldson and Will Kymlicka’s (2011) Zoopolis, by depicting the shortcomings of their
version of relational justice.
Ultimately, I put forth a provisional framework of justice based on multispecies
connections by employing fundamental concepts and values from te ao Māori (the
Māori worldview). This framework includes the hybridization of holism and
individualism, and practices justice with care. I also offer a model of decision-making
based on multispecies connections called the Unfurling Koru.