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https://www.positive.news/society/giving-non-human-beings-a-seat-at-the-table-animals-in-the-room/>
"How might animals have a stake in democratic processes? How do we truly hear
what they want?
While philosophy plays a big role in attempting to answer these out-there
questions, Animals in the Room (AITR) is grounding its work in reality by
studying and gathering data on non-human animals to explore how they can be
part of the political and environmental decisions that impact them.
“Other living beings are subjects of justice that can communicate their
interests to us: we just haven’t experimented with democracy to figure out how
to include them and to understand how to do it well,” says founding AITR member
Melanie Challenger.
Originally conceived as an international consortium of academic partners,
including philosophers, scientists and welfare specialists, this year will see
AITR launch a non-profit spin-off. It aims to encourage tech and creative
partners to lend a hand devising decision-making processes in which non-human
voices can be heard.
It’s a daunting task, says Challenger, one that’s often complicated by the
unwillingness of human communities to listen to their animal neighbours.
“People have formidable barriers to really listening to other species and
taking on their points of view,” she says.
One major piece of work is focused on conflict resolution between bear and
human communities in Europe, with the ultimate goal of fostering peaceful
coexistence.
Says Challenger: “What we offer is an experimental but very context-sensitive
process which brings the perspectives and interests of both humans and
non-humans into the room to deliberate on positive ways forward.”"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
