Nonhuman animal individuals in the animal-industrial complex are undergoing harsh realities. Due to the given status quo in our world, their voices mostly remain unheard. In my research, I turn to the role of formal (higher) education in helping to change our relationship with other animals. Animal ethics has already been established in education. However, there is no consensus on the moral and political status of other animals. This lack of agreement is partly because virtually all human beings are connected in some form to nonhuman animal companionship, husbandry, exploitation, and killing.
My thesis explores the significance of animal ethics in higher education, critically analyzing its pedagogical approaches, methodologies, and broader academic role. Central to my research is the concept of attention, as developed by Simone Weil and Iris Murdoch. I argue that attention offers a transformative lens through which to reconfigure animal ethics education, bridge the gap between theory and practice (praxis), and, as a result, recalibrate our moral perception and cultivate a more just relationship with other species.