Animal Passions and Beastly Virtues: Reflections on Redecorating Nature [Hardcover]

Marc Bekoff (Author), Jane Goodall (Foreword)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1592133479 | ISBN-13: 978-1592133475 | Publication Date: November 1, 2005 | Edition: 1

Who hasn't wondered what it's like to be a dog or bird? Such questions seem unanswerable because we have no way of getting into an animal's mind. Marc Bekoff's work on animal behavior and mind draws world-wide attention for its originality and its probing into what animals might know as well as what skills (mental and physical) are needed to live life successfully as a member of a particular species. Convinced that individuals of every species have some level of self-awareness, Bekoff embarks on fascinating (and often amusing) observations of animals playing, leaving and detecting scent-marks, solving problems, and behaving fairly toward each other. Animal Passions and Beastly Virtues brings together some of his path-breaking research papers, essays on science and ethics, and popular articles in order to reveal a remarkable range of animal behaviors but also to argue that the ethical treatment of animals is an especially significant issue now.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Animal behaviorist, ecologist and ethicist Bekoff (Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior) presents a lengthy compilation of scientific papers and articles from journals like Scientific American on a range of subjects that, remarkably, coheres into a fascinating "big-picture view of animals, culture, and society." Bekoff's writings focus primarily on the science of cognitive ethology, on what animals think, feel and know—and most of the articles study the behavior of dogs; one of the most interesting pieces looks at the sounds and smells that can trigger primary emotions, such as innate fear, in canines. Overall, this collection serves as an excellent summation of the major theme of Bekoff's many books: "with hard work, we can make Earth a better place for all beings," primarily because of engaging introductory essays that connect five sections on animal emotions, social behaviors and ethics. These essays not only explain his concern for how humans "redecorate" nature by using animals for their own purposes but also achieve his goal of appealing to academic and popular audiences though his "musings" on science, social responsibility and "who we are in the grand scheme of things." (Dec.)
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Review

"Serves as an excellent summation of the major theme of Bekoff's many books....These essays not only explain his concern for how humans 'redecorate' nature by using animals for their own purposes but also achieve his goal of appealing to academic and popular audiences though his 'musings' on science, social responsibility and 'who we are in the grand scheme of things.'" —Publishers Weekly

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Temple University Press; 1 edition (November 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592133479
• ISBN-13: 978-1592133475
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,673,599 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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