Breakthrough Dialogues

In June 2018, a raccoon climbed up a skyscraper in Minneapolis. It captured the attention of tens of millions of people, united around a shared concern over the creature’s wellbeing. Environmental journalist Brandon Keim is heartened by the interest, calling it a “reservoir of care” that might contain the antidote to problems of animal suffering in today’s society. The first step toward alleviating non-human pain, Brandon argues, is to grant animals political representation. He’ll be the first to admit that it sounds like a radical step, but respecting the democratic process in every sense of the word – for every creature of the world – can alter the way we think about our relationships to pets, wild animals, and everyone in between. Tune in to hear about what it would mean to give animals voice, and how compatible that vision is with everything from real estate zoning laws to agricultural production. For more, here’s his essay in the Breakthrough Journal: “If We Could Talk to the Animals.”