Challenges the anthropocentrism of the continental philosophical tradition and advances the position that, although some distinctions are valid, humans and animals are best viewed as part of an ontological whole. This book draws on ethological and evolutionary evidence and the work of Heidegger; Luc Ferry and Jurgen Habermas; and, Levinas.

Acknowledgments Introduction: The Question of the Animal 1. Metaphysical Anthropocentrism: Heidegger 2. Facing the Other Animal: Levinas 3. Jamming the Anthropological Machine: Agamben 4. The Passion of the Animal: Derrida Notes Index

Matthew Calarco's book combines a passion for his subject matter with a keenly penetrating grasp of the complex issues which 'the question of the animal' raises at this juncture of Western history. -- Edward Casey, Distinguished Professor, State University of New York at Stony Brook This important analysis is long overdue... Highly recommended. Choice

Matthew Calarco's Zoographies is that rare breed of book that manages to provide both a critical overview and incisive intervention on the terrain of what is now called 'the question of the animal.' Lucidly written and judiciously argued, this book is required reading for those interested in exploring the most searching and innovative attempts in contemporary thought to confront our moral obligations to nonhuman beings. That confrontation, as Calarco demonstrates, cannot leave the very nature of 'humanity' itself unchanged. -- Cary Wolfe, Bruce and Elizabeth Dunlevie Professor of English, Rice University A remarkable achievement. Matthew Calarco liberates Continental philosophy from its anthropocentrism and in doing so points both to the importance of Continental philosophy in thinking about animals and in eliminating the human-animal distinction for future philosophical investigations. -- Carol J. Adams, author of The Feminist Care Tradition in Animal Ethics: A Reader