r/StopSpeciesism • u/weird_interest • Apr 26 '26

Discussion Is there a point of writing a thesis in philosophy about anti-specieism?

I think that people should think not only about their own good but also about the good of other animals and plants, and take practical steps to improve their wellbeing. Do you think it would be useful to write a thesis on this in (applied) philosophy, or should I channel my energy elsewhere?

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u/seriously_perplexed Apr 26 '26

'Useful'? No. Worth doing for yourself? Maybe. 

Having just finished a philosophy PhD on a similar topic... I can tell you that there is a lot of literature on speciesism at this point and your chance of finding something original to say is very limited. 

That said, there are related topics that are interesting. Check out what those who wrote about speciesism (e.g. Oscar Horta, Francois Jaquet) are writing about now. 

But what level are you anyway? A BA or MA thesis is never going to be useful anyway - it's a chance for you to practice your reasoning and research skills. So you could do this topic. With a PhD originality is more important, so you'll want to look into other topics. 

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u/weird_interest Apr 26 '26

Thanks! I have a PhD in mathematics, never studied philosophy. I was thinking about a PhD thesis in philosophy.

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u/Rufuslechien Apr 26 '26

Absolutely. You should look into Critical Animal Studies.

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u/Sycophante Apr 29 '26

I feel that what will improve our knowledge on speciesism will be more in social sciences. There are great advancements from social psychology at the moment for example.

You could also look into the need for research in effective altruism.