Interspecies Sociality

Human and nonhuman life thrives in virtue of its interconnectedness. Birds fly in great swathes, many predators hunt in packs, mammals spend months or even years raising their young, and even many plants share nutrients through fungal networks. Despite variations in the extent and kind of sociality exhibited by nonhumans, most living beings are dependent on others for the satisfaction of various needs.

Furthermore, in addition to exhibiting sociality with conspecifics, many species engage in interspecies sociality. Cheetahs in the San Diego Zoo are paired up with dog companions. Rescued farm animals often form deep and lasting bonds. Both within and beyond human society, mutually beneficial interspecies relationships abound. And, in the case of humans, interspecies connection is of such importance that ‘being able to live… in relation to animals, plants and the world of nature’ should be considered a basic capability (Nussbaum 2023, 89).

This workshop seeks to address various applied philosophical questions prompted by interspecies social relationships. Rather than setting us apart from nonhuman others, our sociability is something that might bring us closer together. Nonetheless, many of our relationships with nonhuman others are marred by conflict, abuse, and sometimes unintended negative externalities. By destroying natural habitats, exploiting or capturing animals that are useful to us, and exterminating those that aren’t, humans are also destroying the valuable social connections that we all – human and nonhuman alike – depend on.

There are therefore several positive and negative dimensions to interspecies relationships. These require close philosophical scrutiny. While philosophers have, in recent years, paid growing attention to human social relations, at present little of this work has been extended beyond the human, to include nonhuman animals and the wider natural world. This workshop special issue aims to build on contributions in animal ethics and beyond (e.g. Singer 1975 / 2023; Gruen 2015; Palmer 2010) to further investigate the philosophy of interspecies sociality. Indeed, although the political turn in animal ethics has led to the greater inclusion of animals in political philosophy (Donaldson and Kymlicka 2013; Cochrane 2018), if our social worlds are as vast and interconnected as the brief depiction above indicates, then numerous philosophical questions remain concerning our social relationships with other living beings.

This is a pre-read workshop. Brief paper presentations will be followed by 40-50 minutes of questions and discussion. As well as paper presentations, the workshop will include a roundtable discussion on Indigenous perspectives.

This is a hybrid event, and participants may register to attend in-person or online over zoom (link above). If registering to attend in-person, please list any dietary or accessibility requirements.

Speakers:

Cheryl Abbate (University of Nevada Las Vegas)
Kimberley Brownlee (University of British Columbia)
Brian Burkhart (University of Oklahoma)
Steve Cooke (Leicester University)
Sue Donaldson (Queen’s University)
Angela Kalhoff (Universität Wien)
Will Kymlicka (Queen’s University)
Josh Milburn (Loughborough University)
Angie Pepper (University of Roehampton)
Matthew Perry (University of British Columbia)
Kristin Voight (McGill University)

We are very grateful for co-sponsorship for this event from the W. Maurice Young Centre for Applied Ethics, the Canada Research Chair held by Prof Kimberley Brownlee, the Department of Philosophy at UBC, and the Candian Journal of Philosophy.