Dominion: The Power of Man, the Suffering of Animals, and the Call to Mercy [Paperback]

His use of bible scripture further adds to the evidence of humans' gone horribly astray, torturing animals for profit and justifying it with self-centered, humanistic arguments. Scully sees those holes and exposes them with brilliance, humor and sincerity.

Most of all, Scully writes from the heart. Dominion compels the reader to reflect upon ones own actions and choices in life and to take a serious look at the world around. Upon completion one cannot help but see the world in a different way, with both disdain and hope.

Yes, animal rights activists have extended the philosophy of human rights outward. But the book misses its own point: We do have concepts of human rights. We reject the continued enslavement of human beings outright. We make no exceptions for compassionate slavery.

Scully insists that only morality articulated in religious terms will carry the day, because "in America, it is worth noting that no moral cause ever got very far without speaking to religious conviction". But an earnest spirituality does not require acceptance of Scully's imperious view of animals any more than it requires adherence to the concept, presented in Genesis, of women's subservience to men, or the condonation of slavery in Leviticus. The idea of subjugation enabled us to own other animals in the first place, and then presented us with the spectrum of possible cruelties to inflict upon them. It then left to us the decision about just what degree of humane protections we ought to extend. Would Scully argue for laws to protect trafficked human beings -- mandating humane treatment, but not their release? A willingness to leave animals in the stream of commerce demonstrates Scully's acceptance of the very moral relativity that the book purports to repudiate.

In Scully's view, animals are inferior creatures to be kept in order by civilized authorities. Scully's view of animals is that "[t]heir gifts, the ones their Creator intended for them, are good for many things - governing just isn't one of them." Scully persists: "Someone has to assume domination, and looking around the earth we seem to be the best candidates". Given that Scully worked on Bush's presidential campaign, perhaps such an obsession can be expected; but great is the tragedy in cherishing the urge to govern so much that one employs the idea to antagonize every unsuspecting sentient being.

Scully relies on personal knowledge -- Bush rescues stray animals, notes Scully -- to conclude that Bush "would be appalled by the conditions of a typical American factory farm or packing plant." While this may well be true, Scully avoids any observation of the vast harm visited upon animals by the Bush administration's military exploits and open disdain for environmental protection. Because the book lacks the necessary political understanding to identify the interests of animals beyond the conditions set up after animals are already made into objects of commerce, any changes it effects will be superficial.

Unless you are an animal advocate who feels reflexively obliged to buy and praise every book by anyone who comes up with an opinion about animals, this author is not recommended. The rush by the animal protection community to sing Matthew Scully's praises is cause for alarm, for this conservative Christian version of animal advocacy promotes the very thinking that has objectified animals. If we can outgrow the tendency to aggrandize ourselves, perhaps we can respect animals on their own terms, and by doing so, we may yet learn to live peacefully with other human groups.

Meaningful change will not appear overnight, but if we envision and work for meaningful change, it will come. It will come one day at a time, as individuals discover their power to change social attitudes. Our main use of animals -- a use over which we have complete control -- involves eating them. We can call ourselves decent and holy and leave our moral responsibility with legislators, as Scully advises, or we could save a lot of time and get to the point: Eat something else.

Matthew Scully is clearly a deeply compassionate human being, and I'm so very happy that he had the guts to write this book. I'm sure he's probably had many opportunites to regret it (though I doubt he did even so).

I felt for him throughout the book because I know that a good percentage of people will refuse to even pick this book up (probably out of fear) - and of those that do, a good percentage won't be able to open their minds (hearts) to the message.

I've always been aware of the horrors of the factory farm and laboratory; however, I was not aware of the extent of cruelty and greed in the hunting industry - it made me indignant.

I think this book is an important start considering the climate we currently live in. I personally feel simply eliminating cruelty in factory farms is not enough; however, at least that is something that might be possible - to some degree anyway (whereas eliminating the slaughter of animals for food is probably never going to happen ever).

I hope this Matthew Scully will write more. People seem to warm to his writing style. I've given this book to many aquaintances to read, and they all came back with a new perspective on their reality - and they were happy for it.

I think it would be great for everyone to read this book - then each person could judge for themselves what they want to get from it.