Details

Subject(s)

• Animal behavior [Browse]
• Animal intelligence [Browse]
• Animal psychology [Browse]
• Social behavior in animals [Browse]

Summary note

"For centuries we have believed that humans are the only ones that matter. The idea that animals have feelings was either dismissed or considered heresy. Today, that's all changing. New scientific studies of animal behavior reveal perceptions, intelligences, awareness, and social skills that would have been deemed fantasy a generation ago. These implications add a moral depth to our troubled relationship with animals." "Jonathan Balcombe, animal behaviorist, draws on the latest research, observational studies, and personal anecdotes to reveal the full gamut of animal experience - from their sense of emotions, to their ability to solve problems and to make moral judgments. Balcombe challenges the widely held idea that nature is red in tooth and claw and highlights animal traits we have disregarded until now: their nuanced understanding of social dynamics, their consideration for others, and their strong tendency to avoid violent conflict." "Did you know that dogs recognize unfairness and rats practice random acts of kindness? Did you know that chimpanzees can trounce humans in short-term memory games? Or that fish distinguish good guys from cheaters, and birds are susceptible to mood swings including both depression and optimism? With stories and anecdotes, Balcombe gives the human pedestal a strong shake while opening the door into the inner lives of the animals themselves."--BOOK JACKET.

Bibliographic references

Includes bibliographical references (p. [205]-230) and index.

Contents

• Foreword / J. M. Coetzee
• Pt. I. Experience
• 1. Introduction
• 2. Tuning In: Animal Sensitivity
• 3. Getting It: Intelligence
• 4. With Feeling: Emotions
• 5. Knowing It: Awareness
• Pt. II. Coexistence
• 6. Communicating
• 7. Getting Along: Sociability
• 8. Being Nice: Virtue
• Pt. III. Emergence
• 9. Rethinking Cruel Nature
• 10. Homo Fallible
• 11. The New Humanity.

Show 12 more Contents items

ISBN

• 9780230613621 :
• 0230613624 :

LCCN

2009030770

OCLC

429473756

Other standard number

• 40017714533

RCP

C - S

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