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Author

Bob Fischer

Bio: Bob Fischer is an academic researcher from Texas State University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Animal ethics & Animal welfare. The author has an hindex of 10, co-authored 47 publications receiving 224 citations.

Papers published on a yearly basis

Papers
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Not only do precautionary principle-based arguments against entomophagy fail, they seem to support the opposite conclusion: strict vegans ought to eat bugs.
Abstract: Entomophagy—eating insects—is getting a lot of attention these days. However, strict vegans are often uncomfortable with entomophagy based on some version of the precautionary principle: if you aren’t sure that a being isn’t sentient, then you should treat it as though it is. But not only do precautionary principle-based arguments against entomophagy fail, they seem to support the opposite conclusion: strict vegans ought to eat bugs.

42 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors collect and analyze all the available information about animal death associated with plant agriculture and show that it is difficult to come up with a plausible estimate of how many animals are killed by plant agriculture, and not just because of a lack of empirical information.
Abstract: We know that animals are harmed in plant production. Unfortunately, though, we know very little about the scale of the problem. This matters for two reasons. First, we can’t decide how many resources to devote to the problem without a better sense of its scope. Second, this information shortage throws a wrench in arguments for veganism, since it’s always possible that a diet that contains animal products is complicit in fewer deaths than a diet that avoids them. In this paper, then, we have two aims: first, we want to collect and analyze all the available information about animal death associated with plant agriculture; second, we try to show just how difficult it’s to come up with a plausible estimate of how many animals are killed by plant agriculture, and not just because of a lack of empirical information. Additionally, we show that there are significant philosophical questions associated with interpreting the available data—questions such that different answers generate dramatically different estimates of the scope of the problem. Finally, we document current trends in plant agriculture that cause little or no collateral harm to animals, trends which suggest that field animal deaths are a historically contingent problem that in future may be reduced or eliminated altogether.

38 citations

BookDOI
TL;DR: In this article, Belshaw and Bruckner this article presented a series of essays defending and challenging the traditional definition of "Omni" in the context of omnivores.
Abstract: Introduction Part I: Defending Meat 1. Christopher Belshaw, " 2. Donald Bruckner, " 3. J. Baird Callicott, " Part II: Challenging Meat 4. Julia Driver, " 5. Mark Budolfson, " 6. Clayton Littlejohn, " 7. Tristram McPherson, " 8. Ben Bramble, " Part III: Future Directions 9. Lori Gruen and Robert Jones, " 10. Neil Levy, " 11. Bob Fischer, " 12. Alexandra Plakias, <"Beetles, Bicycles, and Breath Mints: How 'Omni' Should Omnivores Be? Index

25 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The Three Rs, guidelines proposed in 1959 by WMS Russell and RL Burch that have become the dominant way of thinking about the ethics of using animals in research, are adapted and there is reason to adopt it in a modified form to mitigate moral risk especially in the context of conservation.
Abstract: Insect sampling for the purpose of measuring biodiversity – as well as entomological research more generally – largely assumes that insects lack consciousness. Here, we briefly present some arguments that insects are conscious and encourage entomologists to revisit their ethical codes in light of them. Specifically, we adapt the Three Rs, guidelines proposed in 1959 by WMS Russell and RL Burch that have become the dominant way of thinking about the ethics of using animals in research. The Three Rs specify the need to replace, reduce, and refine the use of animals in research, yet have received little attention in entomological circles, which is perhaps unsurprising given that Russell and Burch explicitly excluded invertebrates from their purview. As a specific case, we consider issues of suffering and bycatch in the use of Malaise traps for insect sampling. While we do not claim that entomologists have an obligation to adopt the Three Rs framework wholesale, we do suggest that there is reason to adopt it in a modified form to mitigate moral risk especially in the context of conservation.

23 citations

Book
15 Dec 2016

20 citations


Cited by
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TL;DR: Taylor probed principles for giving "wildlife...a chance to survive alongside the works of human culture" (299) and bringing "human civilization...into harmony with natu....
Abstract: Twenty-five years ago, Paul Taylor probed principles for giving “wildlife...a chance to survive alongside the works of human culture” (299) and bringing “human civilization...into harmony with natu...

272 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jun 2019
TL;DR: This review focuses on tissue engineering of skeletal muscle and the adjustments needed for clean meat development, and elaborate on cell types from farm animals that have the potential to recapitulate the muscle ECM, blood vessels, muscle fibers and fat deposits.
Abstract: Increasing public awareness of foodborne illnesses, factory farming and the ecological footprint of the meat industry, has generated the need for animal-free meat alternatives. In the last decade, scientists have begun to leverage the knowledge and tools accumulated in the fields of stem cells and tissue engineering towards the development of cell-based meat (i.e., clean meat). In tissue engineering, the physical and biochemical features of the native tissue can be mimicked; cells and biomaterials are integrated under suitable culture conditions to form mature tissues. More specifically, in skeletal muscle tissue engineering, a plurality of cell types can be co-cultured on a 3D scaffold to generate muscle fibers, blood vessels and a dense extracellular matrix (ECM). This review focuses on tissue engineering of skeletal muscle and the adjustments needed for clean meat development. We discuss the skeletal muscle structure and composition, and elaborate on cell types from farm animals that have the potential to recapitulate the muscle ECM, blood vessels, muscle fibers and fat deposits. We also review relevant biomaterials, primarily for fabricating scaffolds that can mimic the intramuscular connective tissues, as well as gene expression studies on the biological pathways that influence meat quality.

123 citations

Journal ArticleDOI

121 citations