Philosophers with an interest in animal welfare - call for abstracts now open for what promises to be a great workshop at Duke University. We welcome any work relating to the nature, measurement, and/or moral significance of animal welfare. Applications close June 1. law.duke.edu/laweconomics...

Omg « NOT ALL NATURAL THINGS ARE GOOD & NOT ALL UNNATURAL THINGS ARE BAD » Louder for the people in the back Merci @zoophilosophy.bsky.social !!

Talk absolument génial du Dr @zoophilosophy.bsky.social sur l’agentivité animale pour @interspecies-io.bsky.social : où l’on apprend que les rats et les chimpanzés aiment aussi s’amuser avec un interrupteur comme Jacquouille dans #LesVisiteurs youtu.be/LGxz_RYSz9I?...

WOOHOO #philsci #phisky #sentience Cocky's celebrating with her fave Angus Young from AC⚡DC impersonation to "Back in Black" - 🎶coz she's refusing to hit the sack🎶, waiting for humans to crack🎶 from the sound of her track🎶 🎶BAU BAU-BAU-BAU BAU-BAU-BAU🎶 BAU-BAU 🎶BAU-BAU BAU-BAU BAU BAU🎶

New study shows that many animals like the same sounds as we do - suggesting a shared aesthetic sense (further evidence that animals' perceptual worlds are an important part of their welfare experience) www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

I was part of a discussion on BBC Radio 4 last week about the future of zoos - you can listen here: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

I was part of a discussion on BBC Radio 4 last week about the future of zoos - you can listen here: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

Lovely review by Kyle Johannsen, of our book 'What Are Zoos For?' journals.uvic.ca/index.php/pi...

I'm sick of people saying that veganism is 'anti-farmer'. Who do they think grows the crops used in plant-based food?

I wrote a new essay responding to Eric Schwitzgebel: Is Diversity Intrinsically Valuable? If you can provide me with better arguments for the existence of intrinsic values I'd be happy to be convinced. walterveit.substack.com/p/is-diversi...

Made an appearance on one of youtube's largest philosophy channels. Joe Folley's Unsolicited Advice. Give it a watch! youtu.be/o1Fusxds1Lk?...

This open access paper in Biological Reviews offers an up-to-date synthesis of the scientific evidence on cephalopod sentience 🐙🦑 It considers 120+ studies using an 8-criterion framework: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... @zoophilosophy.bsky.social @birchlse.bsky.social

Further evidence for the sentience of octopi (and other cephalopods) by @birchlse.bsky.social @zoophilosophy.bsky.social Andrew Crump and Charlotte Burn, using an 8-valued matrix (it seems that one criterion only would be unfair to non-human animals who are so ≠ than us) #AnimalMinds #OtherMinds

Our letter in the Veterinary Record on the future of bovine TB control (it’s over two pages). TLDR: a radical re-think is needed. @markjonesvet.bsky.social @markavery.bsky.social @protectthewild.bsky.social @zoophilosophy.bsky.social @jw132.bsky.social @garethenticott.bsky.social

Interesting argument here, making the Effective Altruism case for research into sustainable and cruelty-free pet diets www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/16...

Exciting funding opportunity for those working to develop human slaughter techniques for fish coefficientgiving.org/funds/farm-a...

For those who missed it, my recent webinar for @interspecies-io.bsky.social is now available to watch online: www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGxz...

I am pleased to announce that I am organizing the annual Ratio conference of our department this year on the topic of animals and philosophy. walterveit.substack.com/p/ratio-annu...

So excited to see this recommendation coming from the Animal Sentience Committee, really hoping it leads to some real change in decapod protection www.gov.uk/government/p...

New video essay - link in first comment

⏰ This Saturday (7 Feb): “Letting Animals Speak” with @zoophilosophy.bsky.social (University of Southampton). How can animal-computer interaction support animal agency and welfare?  📅 5 PM GMT | Online 🔗 https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/HpyXUDk7QSOsH3tyGiHE4A#/registration

Recorded a new episode substack.com/home/post/p-...

New post: walterveit.substack.com/p/panpsychis...

Now available in essay format - link below!

📣 What if animals could help design their own worlds? Join @zoophilosophy.bsky.social for Letting Animals Speak—a lecture on animal agency, ethics & animal-computer interaction. 📅 Feb 7 | Online | Register here: us06web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

The IWRS is hiring! Help us build the infrastructure for invertebrate welfare research—from husbandry databases to educational resources. 🐛📖 Remote Research Scientist position, $55-60K. We will begin reviewing applications on March 15. Learn more and apply here:

Local specialists’ experience and skills in animal behaviour studies: insights from wild chimpanzee field assistants royalsocietypublishing.org/rspb/article...

Philosophy friends - I've written a case for why you should become a nihilist to create a better world. Please let me know your thoughts! walterveit.substack.com/p/why-effect...

For those cephalopod lovers among you, our new updated review of the evidence for cephalpod sentience has now been published in Biological Reviews. (Sadly the picture is of birds rather than cephalopods, as this is the journal cover!) doi.org/10.1002/brv....

Love this new evidence of the cognitive sophistication of cows and hope that it might make a few people rethink whether they want meat on their plates www.newscientist.com/article/2511...

Just posted some more reflections on panpsychism and the state of philosophy. walterveit.substack.com/p/minds-all-...

I wrote about a small essay about metaphilosophy open.substack.com/pub/walterve...

New RSPCA Animal Welfare Science Update, including articles on reptile enrichment, factors influencing dog adoptions, rehoming racehorses, welfare assessment for farmed fish, and best practice for tagging wild sharks www.rspca.org.au/learn/animal...

New newsletter post. Consider subscribing. :) walterveit.substack.com/p/more-than-...

1st draft of the book I've been editing submitted: 'The Welfare of Wildlife'. Both milestone & anticlimax. Looking forward to publication in late 2026. @zoophilosophy.bsky.social @walterveit.bsky.social @nikolaj-bi.bsky.social @markjonesvet.bsky.social @vassilipapa.bsky.social @5mbooks.bsky.social

Now available in video format: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Swpx...

Wrote a new essay: open.substack.com/pub/walterve...

Interesting new paper shining light on the welfare issues within the exotic animal cafes common throughout Japan. While it might be nice to have a chance to get up close with an exotic animal, most species' needs cannot be met in these spaces. doi.org/10.1292/jvms...

Link below

LOOK! it's Walt! I looking, k? ease up on teh choke-hold, already! #philsky #philsci #sentience #consciousness #science

Ever wonder what it’s like to be inside the mischievous mind of a crafty corvid like a raven or a crow? Philosophers Drs Dr Heather Browning (Veit) and Dr. Walter Veit have pondered this question of consciousness too. Get inside their mind in this piece for The Conversation UK 🔗 rdg.ac/3SRoEnk

this is not behavior becoming of a FIFA Peace Prize recipient.

EVERYBODY !!! Justice for *Animals !!! #philsci #philsky #sentience Heather and friends have a new #book review out. Applied Animal Behaviour Science Volume 295, February 2026, 106886 *especially ones with bunny hats !!!

We have a new book review out, taking an interdisciplinary perspective on Martha Nussbaum's 'Justice for Animals' Coauthored with Lisa Dickel, @suzannetruong.bsky.social, @harfeld.bsky.social & Anna Rademann Read here: authors.elsevier.com/c/1mEjgcF2Ow...

The ability to lean your chair backwards on airplanes is basically giving everyone a button that gains you one utile upon pressing it but costs the person behind you five.

Today for the first time in several weeks I've got time to work on my book project, and I'm buzzing with excitement for it. A nice reminder of why I do this work, and how much I love it (when not bogged down by other tasks!)

Interesting new paper by Ned Block, exploring the implications if subcomputational biological mechanisms turn out to be necessary for consciousness (the entertainingly named "meat hypothesis") www.cell.com/trends/cogni...

Very happy to see the UK government making a commitment to phasing out animal testing www.gov.uk/government/n...

In Osaka meeting the first fish to have been shown to possess self-awareness in mirror experiments!