Ethical theories and the animal issue: between science and philosophy

The animal issue, or the question whether humans have moral obligations toward animals, has been debated from the point of view of different ethical theories (utilitarianism, contractarianism, virtue ethics, etc.) and, more recently, from the point of view of the theory of justice. How are these different perspectives related? Are there shared moral principles these theories arrive at concerning our obligations toward animals? Are some theories better equipped than others to deal with this issue? And does recent scientific knowledge gathered in the general area of ethology and comparative cognition bring new evidence bearing on moral issues concerning human-animal relationship? The conference will bring together scholars from different areas interested in focusing on these questions.