Animals Matter: A Biologist Explains Why We Should Treat Animals with Compassion and Respect [Paperback]

Marc Bekoff (Author), Jane Goodall (Foreword)

Book Description

Release date: November 13, 2007

Nonhuman animals have many of the same feelings we do. They get hurt, they suffer, they are happy, and they take care of each other. Marc Bekoff, a renowned biologist specializing in animal minds and emotions, guides readers from high school age up—including older adults who want a basic introduction to the topic—in looking at scientific research, philosophical ideas, and humane values that argue for the ethical and compassionate treatment of animals. Citing the latest scientific studies and tackling controversies with conviction, he zeroes in on the important questions, inviting reader participation with “thought experiments” and ideas for action. Among the questions considered:

   • 

Are some species more valuable or more important than others?
   • 

Do some animals feel pain and suffering and not others?
   • 

Do animals feel emotions?
   • 

Should endangered animals be reintroduced to places where they originally lived?
   • 

Should animals be kept in captivity?
   • 

Are there alternatives to using animals for food, clothing, cosmetic testing, and dissection in the science classroom?
   • 

What can we learn by imagining what it feels like to be a dog or a cat or a mouse or an ant?
   • 

What can we do to make a difference in animals’ quality of life?


Bekoff urges us not only to understand and protect animals—especially those whose help we want for our research and other human needs—but to love and respect them as our fellow beings on this planet that we all want to share in peace.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Animal behaviorist and biologist Bekoff follows his most recent in-depth work, The Emotional Life of Animals, with another well-written, more generalist argument for responsible behavior toward animals of all kinds. A revised and updated edition of his 2000 Strolling with Our Kin, an introduction for young readers to ethical issues relating to the use of animals, the writing still feels aimed at younger readers, but the new elements include an excellent review of current debates regarding animal sentience, animal relocation efforts and medical school dissection and vivisection. He also offers the evidence that "zoos actually do little to increase biodiversity," failing both to advocate for conservation and in their attempts to reintroduce captive animals into the wild. This levelheaded brief for animal rights deserves to be read by people of all ages, from teens and 20-somethings turned on to animal activism by vegetarian pop stars like Moby, to parents, teachers and other adults with the hope that they will "make more responsible decisions after reading this book and discussing the issues with family and friends."
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"People who want to end animal exploitation sometimes are accused of being unscientific and uninformed. Marc Bekoff's Animals Matter is (and for a long time will remain) the gold standard when it comes to offering a scientific, informed response to these reckless charges. As Bekoff demonstrates, a scientifically informed understanding of who animals are supports their liberation from the hands of human tyranny."—Tom Regan, author of The Case for Animal Rights and Empty Cages

"Marc Bekoff is the wisest scientist I know, for he is the only expert who truly loves animals in the way that children are able to love animals, with all his heart. Listen to him. Read this book, give it to friends, celebrate this wonderful event."—Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, author of Altruistic Armadillos, Zenlike Zebras

"It's not every day that a world-class scientist tries to explain his ideas to a general audience. Marc Bekoff not only helps us to understand nature and animals, but also shows us how to love them."—Dale Jamieson, author of Ethics and the Environment

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 202 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala (November 13, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590305221
• ISBN-13: 978-1590305225
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.6 x 8.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #896,527 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #74 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Zoology > Animal Psychology

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars what we share with other creatures January 20, 2008

By Brad4d VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

What makes us similar to animals? What makes us different? What makes us different from each other?
Whatever your answers to these vague questions, it will probably involve some aspect of Emotion, and this book evaluates the emotional links that we share and that differentiate us all.

The author indicates emotion is especially significant in sharing experience, and in deciding with whom we share that experience. Almost no reasonable person would choose to abuse a human being of low intellectual capacity who looks at us with a trusting smile, and almost no one would sympathize with an intellectual equal who treats such a person with cold cruelty. Nevertheless, we often categorize other creatures by their emotional response to us, and often find we are amazingly wrong. The author suggests that when we expand our awareness, we are often more accurate and positively rewarded beyond our expectations. We can never treat animals as equals, but we can never degrade them without degrading ourselves. If we should discover creatures who are our technological and intellectual superiors, we should hope they will treat us better than we have treated other conscious creatures.
It's an interesting thesis, and it's interesting to think of the alternatives.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars absolutely wonderful book August 1, 2008

By possum queen

Format:Paperback

I wish everyone could read this book - I honestly believe it would change the world.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Good for the lay reader, but not for scientific background September 17, 2008

By T. Baker

Format:Paperback

I purchased and read this book because I enjoyed _The Emotional Lives of Animals_. I found this book to be more geared toward personal conduct and ethics. This book is not a biologist explaining animal rights from the point of view of a biologist. This book is giving the personal opinion of the biologist without using scientific support.

For someone who is looking for a book outlining animal rights and ethical dilemmas, it is a good read, though it was not what I was looking for in particular. There are heavy themes surrounding vegetarianism and related lifestyles- to give an idea of the theme of the book.

For someone who is looking for the studies that support the author's conclusions, I suggest reading _Emotional Lives of Animals_ instead. He outlines more clearly his behavioral observations in his other book rather than this one (_Animals Matter_.)

5.0 out of 5 stars In love April 8, 2013

By Mariana Blanco Molina

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is AMAZING. Every paragraph has at least a quotable sentence. If you are an animal lover you are going to love it.

1 of 4 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars thesis material December 2, 2010

By Paul A. Buehler

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

very heavy on the philosophy of the subject. if you want to really enjoy reading about the subject, look somewhere else. the guy really knows his stuff but can't get it across to the lay person.