Steven Best (born in December 1955 ) is an assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Texas at El Paso, an author of books and articles on philosophy, cultural criticism, social theory and animal rights, and has received multiple awards. , activist of the animal rights movement, repeatedly supporting the movement “ Animal Liberation Front ” [1] , recognized by the FBI as a terrorist threat [2] . Founder of the North American Animal Liberation Press Center.
| Stephen Best | |
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| Steven best | |
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| Academic degree | assistant professor |
| Known as | animal rights advocate |
| Site | drstevebest.org |
His ideas of “total freedom” (people, animals and the planet) are perceived critically [by whom? ] . His publications are banned in the UK. He gives lectures in different countries talking about his philosophy.
Stephen Best studies issues such as animal rights, the environmental crisis, biotechnology, libertarian politics, modernist and postmodern culture (from Herbert Wells to hip-hop music), terrorism, the media, globalization and the dominance of capitalist ideas in the world.
Content
Stephen Best and Animal Rights
Stephen Best’s book, “Terrorists or Freedom Fighters?” Is the first book to answer questions about the history, ethics, politics, and tactics of the Animal Liberation Front . The book describes the ideology of the VF and from the point of view of activism and from the point of view of theory, makes it possible to deeply understand the ideas of this international organization and its place in the movement for animal rights.
Turning to such noteworthy sources as Thomas Aquinas and modern legislation on the fight against terrorism in the USA (The Patriot Act), as well as to the history of personal experience, the author allows to study in detail the history of civil disobedience and sabotage, to explore the philosophical and cultural significance of the concepts of “terrorism ”,“ Democracy ”and“ freedom ”. This book challenges the values formed in modern culture. Among the co-authors there are such outstanding people as Robin Webb, Rod Coronado, Ingrid Newkirk , Paul Watson , Karen Davis, Bruce Fredrich, Patrice Jones and others.
Stephen Best writes: “Most of the crimes are committed against animals, which, however, the legal authorities ignore. No matter how useful it could be done here through the formation and introduction of new laws. VFD exists because peaceful dialogue alone cannot lead to social change; VLF activists don’t believe the system, they strike when there is a threat to life, and fight for immediate results and changes. ”
Many of Best's books are co-authored with Herbert's follower Marcuse Douglas Kellner. Together with him, they are members of the editorial board of the International Journal of Inclusive Democracy, in which Best combines the issue of animal welfare with direct democracy, socialism, and human rights. On his last book ( Academic Repression: Reflections from the Academic Industrial Complex ), Best collaborated with critical education theorist Peter Maclaren .
Foreign travel
In 2005, Best was banned from entering the UK to prevent him from attending an animal rights conference there [3] . In response, he said that he was not surprised by the ban, since a fascist atmosphere was established in the UK after the London attacks.
In June 2008, Best, for the first time, at the invitation of Alliance for Animal Rights activists , visited Russia [4] and gave lectures at MV Lomonosov Moscow State University and St. Petersburg State University .
Selected Works
Books
- Best, Steven, Nocella, Anthony J., & McLaren, Peter Academic Repression: Reflections from the Academic Industrial Complex , AK Press , 2010. ISBN 978-1-904859-98-7
- Best, Steven and Nocella, Anthony J. Igniting A Revolution: Voices in Defense of the Earth , AK Press , 2006. ISBN 1-904859-56-9
- Best, Steven, and Nocella, Anthony J. Terrorists or Freedom Fighters? Reflections on the Liberation of Animals . Lantern Books , 2004. ISBN 1-59056-054-X
- Steven Best and Douglas Kellner . The Postmodern Adventure: Science, Technology, and Cultural Studies at the Third Millennium . Guilford, June 2001. ISBN 978-1-57230-665-3
- Best, Steven. The Politics of Historical Vision: Marx, Foucault, Habermas , Guilford 1995. ISBN 978-1-57230-145-0
- Best, Steven and Kellner, Douglas. Postmodern Theory: Critical Interrogations , Guilford 1991. ISBN 978-0-89862-412-0
- Best, Steven and Kellner, Douglas. The Postmodern Turn , Guilford 1991. ISBN 978-0-89862-412-0
- Best, Steven. Animal Rights and Moral Progress: The Struggle for Human Evolution . (forthcoming)
Articles and Essays
- Steven Best, "The Rise of Critical Animal Studies: Putting Theory into Action and Animal Liberation into Higher Education," State of Nature (summer 2009).
- Steven Best, "Minding the Animals: Ethology and the Obsolescence of Left Humanism," The International Journal of Inclusive Democracy , Vol. 5, No. 2 (Spring 2009).
- Steven Best, "Crisis Culture and the Waning of Revolutionary Politics," The International Journal of Inclusive Democracy , Vol. 3, No. 4 (October 2007).
- Steven Best, "The Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act: New, Improved, and ACLU Approved," The International Journal of Inclusive Democracy , Vol. 3, No. 3 (July 2007).
- Steven Best, "Rethinking Revolution: Animal Liberation, Human Liberation, and the Future of the Left," The International Journal of Inclusive Democracy , Vol.2, No.3 (June 2006).
- Kellner, Douglas and Best, Steven, “Dawns, Twilights, and Transitions: Postmodern Theories, Politics, and Challenges,” Democracy & Nature: The International Journal of Inclusive Democracy , Vol. 7, No. 1 (March 2001).
Notes
- ↑ Our Task According to Dr. Steven best
- ↑ FBI Against ELF and ALF Terrorists March 8, 2006
- ↑ MacLeod, Donald. "Britain uses hate law to ban animal rights campaigner" , The Guardian , August 31, 2005. Also see Smallwood, Scott. "Britain Bans American Professor Who Speaks on Behalf of Animal Liberation Front," The Chronicle of Higher Education , August 29, 2005.
- ↑ Famous freedom fighter Stephen Best visited Russia for the first time. Archived July 27, 2009. (unavailable link from 12-05-2013 [2285 days])
Links
- The famous freedom fighter Stephen Best visited Russia for the first time (unavailable link from 12-05-2013 [2285 days])
- “Animal rights and untruth about them” - article by S. Best (inaccessible link from 12-05-2013 [2285 days])
- “Do you not support the VF? Why? ”- article by S. Best (inaccessible link from 12-05-2013 [2285 days])