Nussbaum Fighting With Vietnamese Uncles on Keeping Ornamental Birds (opens in new tab)

In Vietnam, many families and businesses keep a songbird. Housed in ornate bamboo cages, these birds are the centerpieces of a Vietnamese tradition known as chơi chim cảnh (‘playing’ ornamental birds). The birds are often meticulously cared for, fed premium diets of insects and fruit, bathed daily, and protected from the harsh realities of urban predators. If humans provide food, care, and most importantly, safety, does it justify the stripping of a creature’s fundamental autonomy? Nussbaum p...