This book investigates the moral psychology behind human attitudes toward animals, specifically questioning why humans perceive animals as a threat to their own sense of identity. T. J. Kasperbauer, a scholar in philosophy and ethics, synthesizes data from a wide range of disciplines to argue that our treatment of animals is deeply rooted in a defensive mechanism designed to protect the concept of human uniqueness. By examining the intersection of biology and culture, the author provides a framework for understanding the cognitive biases that shape human-animal interactions.

Experts in moral psychology and animal ethics recognize this work for its broad, multi-disciplinary approach to a complex behavioral question. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which serves as a rigorous examination of the psychological underpinnings of human behavior.