Steven Best (born December 1955) is an American philosopher, writer, speaker and activist. His concerns include
animal rights
Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as avoiding suffering—should be afforded the sa ...
, species
extinction
Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...
,
human overpopulation
Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...
,
ecological crisis
An ecological or environmental crises occurs when changes to the environment of a species or population destabilizes its continued survival. Some of the important causes include:
* Degradation of an abiotic ecological factor (for example, increa ...
,
biotechnology
Biotechnology is the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts thereof and molecular analogues for products and services. The term ''biotechnology'' was first used b ...
, liberation politics,
terrorism
Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...
, mass media and culture,
globalization
Globalization, or globalisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is the process of interaction and integration among people, companies, and governments worldwide. The term ''globalization'' first appeared in the early 20t ...
, and
capitalist
Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, price system, priva ...
domination. He is Associate Professor of Humanities and Philosophy at the
University of Texas at El Paso
The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is a public research university in El Paso, Texas. It is a member of the University of Texas System. UTEP is the second-largest university in the United States to have a majority Mexican American stud ...
. He has published 13 books and over 200 articles and reviews.
He is co-author (with UCLA Professor
Douglas Kellner) of a trilogy of postmodern studies (''Postmodern Theory: Critical Interrogation''; ''The Postmodern Turn: Paradigms Shifts in Art, Theory, and Science''; and ''The Postmodern Adventure: Science, Technology, and Cultural Studies at the Third Millennium'' (
Guilford Press
Guilford Press or Guilford Publications, Inc. is a New York City-based independent publisher founded in 1973 that specializes in publishing books, journals, and DVDs in psychology, psychiatry, the behavioral sciences, education, geography, and res ...
, 1991, 1997, 2001). More recently, he introduced and co-edited four anthologies: ''Terrorists or Freedom Fighters? Reflections on the Liberation of Animals'' (
Lantern Books
Lantern Publishing & Media is an American non-profit book publisher founded in 2020, having acquired the assets of Booklight Inc. DBA Lantern Books in 2019. Booklight was founded in 1999, and first located in Union Square (New York City), before mo ...
, 2004); ''Igniting a Revolution: Voices in Defense of the Earth'' (
AK Press
AK Press is a worker-managed, independent publisher and book distributor that specialises in radical left and anarchist literature. Operated out of Chico, California, the company is collectively owned.
History
AK was founded in Stirling, Sc ...
, 2006); ''Academic Repression: Reflections on the Academic-Industrial Complex'' (AK Press, 2010); and ''The Global Industrial Complex: Systems of Domination'' (
Rowman & Littlefield
Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group is an independent publishing house founded in 1949. Under several imprints, the company offers scholarly books for the academic market, as well as trade books. The company also owns the book distributing compa ...
2011). His most recent book is titled: ''The Politics of Total Liberation: Revolution for the 21st Century'' (Rowman & Littlefield, 2014).
Background
After attending high school in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, Best took casual jobs in factories and drove a truck for a few years. He attended the
College of DuPage
College of DuPage is a public community college with its main campus in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. The college also owns and operates facilities in the Illinois communities of Addison, Carol Stream, Naperville and Westmont. With more than 20,000 s ...
(Illinois) from 1977 to 1979, where he completed an
associate degree
An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree.
The fi ...
in film and theater. He then studied philosophy at the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univ ...
from 1979 to 1983, where he received a bachelor's degree with distinction; at the
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...
from 1985 to 1987 where he obtained his master's degree; and at the
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...
from 1989 to 1993, where he obtained his Ph.D.
[Curriculum vitae]
, drstevebest.org, accessed February 5, 2012.
In 1993, he began as an Assistant Professor of Humanities and Philosophy at the University of Texas at El Paso promoted to Associate Professor in 1999, and was Chair of the Philosophy Department 2002–2005.
[
]
Academic work
A writer for The Chronicle of Higher Education
''The Chronicle of Higher Education'' is a newspaper and website that presents news, information, and jobs for college and university faculty and student affairs professionals (staff members and administrators). A subscription is required to rea ...
described Best in 2005 as "one of the leading scholarly voices on animal rights."[Smallwood, Scott]
"Speaking for the Animals, or the Terrorists?"
, ''The Chronicle of Higher Education'', August 5, 2005.
Best is co-founder of the Institute for Critical Animal Studies (ICAS), formerly known as the Center on Animal Liberation Affairs (CALA). His academic interests are continental philosophy
Continental philosophy is a term used to describe some philosophers and philosophical traditions that do not fall under the umbrella of analytic philosophy. However, there is no academic consensus on the definition of continental philosophy. Pri ...
, postmodernism
Postmodernism is an intellectual stance or Rhetorical modes, mode of discourseNuyen, A.T., 1992. The Role of Rhetorical Devices in Postmodernist Discourse. Philosophy & Rhetoric, pp.183–194. characterized by philosophical skepticism, skepticis ...
, and environmental philosophy. He is known for his post-structuralist notions of revolution, based equally in animal rights and total liberation. He is the editor, with Anthony J. Nocella, of ''Terrorists or Freedom Fighters? Reflections on the Liberation of Animals'' (2004), which has a foreword by Ward Churchill, and the companion volume on revolutionary environmentalism, ''Igniting a Revolution: Voices in Defense of the Earth'' (2006).
Best co-authored with Douglas Kellner a trilogy of texts on postmodern theory and cultural studies – ''Postmodern Theory: Critical Interrogations'' (1991), ''The Postmodern Turn'' (1997), and ''The Postmodern Adventure: Science, Technology, and Cultural Studies at the Third Millennium'' (2001).
With Peter McLaren and Anthony J. Nocella II, Best co-edited ''Academic Repression: Reflections from the Academic Industrial Complex'' (2010).
Best has also written on subjects relating to popular culture, including articles on the film ''RoboCop
''RoboCop'' is a 1987 American science fiction action film directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner. The film stars Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Daniel O'Herlihy, Ronny Cox, Kurtwood Smith, and Miguel Ferre ...
'' and Hip hop music.
Activism
Best is an advocate of Inclusive Democracy
Inclusive Democracy (ID) is a project that aims for direct democracy; economic democracy in a stateless, moneyless and marketless economy; self-management (democracy in the socio-economic realm); and ecological democracy.
The theoretical p ...
, a movement founded by Greek political philosopher Takis Fotopoulos
Takis Fotopoulos ( el, Τάκης Φωτόπουλος born 14 October 1940) is a Greek people, Greek political philosophy, political philosopher, economist and writer who founded the inclusive democracy, Inclusive Democracy movement, aiming at a ...
, and sits on the international advisory board of the International Journal of Inclusive Democracy. He writes:
In bold contrast to the limitations of the animal advocacy movement (AAM) and all other reformist causes, Takis Fotopoulos advances a broad view of human dynamics and social institutions, their impact on the earth, and the resulting consequences for society itself. Combining anti-capitalist
Anti-capitalism is a political ideology and Political movement, movement encompassing a variety of attitudes and ideas that oppose capitalism. In this sense, anti-capitalists are those who wish to replace capitalism with another type of economi ...
, radical democracy, and ecological concerns in the concept of "ecological democracy," Fotopoulos defines this notion as "the institutional framework which aims at the elimination of any human attempt to dominate the natural world, in other words, as the system which aims to reintegrate humans and Nature. This implies transcending the present 'instrumentalist' view of Nature, in which Nature is seen as an instrument for growth
Growth may refer to:
Biology
* Auxology, the study of all aspects of human physical growth
* Bacterial growth
* Cell growth
* Growth hormone, a peptide hormone that stimulates growth
* Human development (biology)
* Plant growth
* Secondary growth ...
, within a process of endless concentration of power.
Animal Liberation Press Office
In December 2004, Best co-founded the North American Animal Liberation Press Office
Animal Liberation Press Offices relay anonymous communiques, photos, and videos to the media about direct action undertaken by the Animal Liberation Front (ALF), Animal Rights Militia (ARM), Revolutionary Cells – Animal Liberation Brigade, Jus ...
, which acts as a media office for a number of animal rights groups, including the Animal Liberation Front (ALF), though he has said that he is not himself an ALF activist.[
]
Views on civil disobedience, militant direct action and violence
Best has criticized others in the animal-rights movement who embrace a "fundamentalist pacifism" and oppose any kind of militant direct action, which could include such tactics as "illegal raids, rescues, and sabotage attacks." He has referred to them as "Franciombes" after Gary Francione who believes in pursuing animal rights only through peaceful means.[ANIMAL RIGHTS EXTREMIST CAMILLE MARINO CALLS FOR VIOLENCE]
, Southern Poverty Law Centre, 1 March 2012 Best says that the current ecocrisis "renders fundamentalist pacifism obsolete."
In his 2014 book ''The Politics of Total Liberation: Revolution for the 21st Century'', Best asserts that militant direct action and "extensional self-defense" reduces violence, adding that the notion "violence only creates more violence" is a pacifist myth. As an example of "extensional self-defense", he cites the use of armed soldiers by some African governments to protect endangered wildlife from poachers, stating that "pacifists cannot stop poachers, but bullets can, and while many measures must be taken to protect endangered species, right now armed soldiers are the best protection rhinos and elephants have against murderous, weapon-wielding poachers." Best also warns against romanticizing violence, and asserts that a variety of tactics can be used depending on the situation. He refers to this as the contextualist position:
In a global setting, contextualism asks this question: How can we best defend all life and the entire planet from the massive and unrelenting assault of global capitalism, centralized political rule, militarism, and the metastasizing growth of the human empire colonizing the earth and monopolizing its resources? Questions concerning the legitimacy and efficacy of physical force cannot be answered in the abstract, but only in specific contexts. Whereas partisans on both sides want to read the history of moral progress as driven exclusively by nonviolence or violence, the fact is that social change unfolds through the entire arsenal of pressure tactics, which include strikes, protests, demonstrations, boycotts, sabotage, liberation, education, legislation or even armed struggle.
Best has explained a justification for civil disobedience in the essay ''Beyond Animal Liberation''.
Ban from entering the United Kingdom
In 2005, Best planned to attend a rally to celebrate the closure—as a result of protests from the animal rights movement—of Newchurch Farm, where guinea pigs were being bred for research purposes. Charles Clarke, the British Home Secretary
The secretary of state for the Home Department, otherwise known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom. The home secretary leads the Home Office, and is responsible for all national ...
, said he would rely on new Home Office rules preventing people from enter the UK if they "foment, justify or glorify terrorist violence in further of particular beliefs; seek to provoke others to terrorist acts; foment other serious criminal activity or seek to provoke others to serious criminal acts."[MacLeod, Donald]
"Britain uses hate law to ban animal rights campaigner"
, ''The Guardian'', August 31, 2005. In a letter to Best dated August 24, 2005, Clarke cited a comment by Best quoted by ''The Daily Telegraph'': "We are not terrorists, but we are a threat. We are a threat both economically and philosophically. Our power is not in the right to vote but the power to stop production. We will break the law and destroy property until we win." Best is also alleged to have said that the animal rights movement did not want to "reform" vivisectionists but to "wipe them off the face of the earth."[
The letter from the Home Secretary said: "In expressing such views, it is considered that you are fomenting and justifying terrorist violence and seeking to provoke others to terrorist acts and fomenting other serious criminal activity and seeking to provoke others to serious criminal acts."][Smallwood, Scott]
"Britain Bans American Professor Who Speaks on Behalf of Animal Liberation Front"
, ''The Chronicle of Higher Education'', August 29, 2005. The letter was dated the same day that the Home Office published its new list of behaviors that would see people banned from the UK. Under the list, people who write, speak, run a website, or use their positions as teachers to express views that "foment, justify, or glorify violence in furtherance of particular beliefs" will be banned or deported. The British government called the new measures part of its "ongoing work to tackle terrorism and extremism."[ Best responded by saying it didn't surprise him. He told the ''Chronicle of Higher Education'': "It was only a matter of time, especially after the ]July 7, 2005 London bombings
The 7 July 2005 London bombings, often referred to as 7/7, were a series of four coordinated suicide attacks carried out by Islamic terrorists in London that targeted commuters travelling on the city's public transport system during the mor ...
. The climate in Britain is totally unbelievable. It's very fascist
Fascism is a far-right, Authoritarianism, authoritarian, ultranationalism, ultra-nationalist political Political ideology, ideology and Political movement, movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and pol ...
. It's becoming a police state."[
]
See also
* Animal Liberation Press Office
Animal Liberation Press Offices relay anonymous communiques, photos, and videos to the media about direct action undertaken by the Animal Liberation Front (ALF), Animal Rights Militia (ARM), Revolutionary Cells – Animal Liberation Brigade, Jus ...
* Critical animal studies
Critical animal studies (CAS) is an interdisciplinary field in the humanities and social sciences and a theory-to-activism global community. It emerged in 2001 with the founding of the Centre for Animal Liberation Affairs by Anthony J. Nocella an ...
(CAS)
* Earth Liberation Front (ELF)
* ''Behind the Mask Behind the Mask may refer to:
Film and television
* ''Behind the Mask'' (1932 film), a film featuring Boris Karloff
* ''Behind the Mask'' (1936 film) or ''The Man Behind the Mask'', a British mystery film by Michael Powell
* ''Behind the Mas ...
''
* '' Speciesism: The Movie''
* List of animal rights advocates
Advocates of animal rights support the philosophy of animal rights. They believe that many or all sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as in avoiding suff ...
References
External links
Steven Best's faculty page
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Best, Steven
1955 births
Living people
American animal rights activists
Earth Liberation Front
Philosophers from Illinois
Philosophers from Texas
Postmodern writers
University of Chicago alumni
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumni
University of Texas at Austin College of Liberal Arts alumni
University of Texas at El Paso faculty