Customer Reviews

Drawing the Line: Science and the Case for Animal Rights

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Like the critics of slavery abolitionists who asserted that efforts were better spent helping poor young chimney sweeps than African slaves, there will be those who argue that instead of concerning ourselves with the plight of nonhuman animals, we should concentrate on making the world a better place for starving people in Africa, diseased humans, etc. (There is nothing wrong with advancing worthy human causes, but some folks don't seem to realized they can be pursued simultaneously with nonhuman animal causes.) Steven Wise launches a convincing argument that nonhuman animals are remarkably similar to humans on many quantifiable levels, and that some nonhumans may therefore be justified in sharing basic rights with humans.

Among all the cited cases documenting the complex web of human-like (as well as unique) traits among dolphins, honeybees, orangutans, dogs, gorillas, African grey parrots, elephants (and from his previous book, chimpanzees and bonobos), I found one case most interesting. As an economist, I was particularly bemused to discover that orangutans have displayed an understanding of economic value! The author describes the orangutans Azy and Indah who were given bamboo tools to use in public demonstrations. After a demonstration, a human could only retrieve the bamboo tools from the orangutans in exchange for proper compensation. Offering the orangutans a sunflower seed was sufficient payment for a small piece of bamboo. Obtaining a large piece cost much more: an entire walnut. Shrewd bargainers, those orangutans were, and capable of very abstract thinking!

The book is filled with evidence of nonhuman intelligence, emotion, and language (making it an excellent companion to Joan Dunayer's book Animal Equality: Language and Liberation). The evidence ranges from anecdotal to experimental. The author quotes biologist Bernd Heinrich who says "We can't credibly claim that one species is more intelligent than another unless we quantify intelligent with respect to what, since each animal lives in a different world of its own sensory inputs and decoding mechanisms of those inputs." Having demonstrated that nonhuman animals can score highly on tests designed to measure human intelligence, surely we have only scratched the surface.

The stated goal of this book (and Wise's previous book) is to rattle the legal profession into extending basic rights to beings other than humans. Thanks to Steven Wise, I am confident that will happen, now sooner rather than later. As he says, "human slavery was once as firmly entrenched as nonhuman animal slavery is today." There is hope.

Steven M. Wise's "Drawing the Line" presents a compelling argument for recognizing the rights of "nonhuman" animals. As a lawyer who has taught at Harvard and has championed animal rights for over twenty years, Mr. Wise directs our attention in this book to some of the recent scientific studies pertaining to animal intelligence. The evidence strongly suggests that at least some species qualify for dignity rights and other legal protections.

Mr. Wise provides introductory chapters that succinctly defines the struggle for animal rights. The author compares the historic practice of slavery with today's plight of nonhuman animals. Deep-rooted socioeconomic practices conspired to keep slavery alive for most of human history; today, animal slavery is fueled by longstanding cultural and economic forces. Consequently Mr. Wise approaches the daunting task of animal liberation with eyes wide open. He has written this book as a strategic move to further our understanding and with the hope of advancing the struggle.

To that end, I would have to say that Mr. Wise has succeeded brilliantly. The author employs a sound methodology to persuade us of the merits of his case. Mr. Wise rank-orders the intelligence of nonhuman animals by utilizing Piaget's well-known theories pertaining to the study of early childhood development. Consequently most of the chapters in the book are devoted to the study of specific animals (such as Koko the gorilla) who might represent the innate abilities of their respective species. You will be intrigued with how Mr. Wise utilizes Piagetian measures such as mirror self-recognition tests in order to compare animal performances with human intelligence.

I think that nearly everyone who reads this book with an open mind will be persuaded that at least a few species do indeed display the characteristics of "practical autonomy" that should assure them of rights under the law. Mr. Wise visits with leading researchers to demonstrate the mental acuities of specific animals; in many cases, we come to appreciate the unique personalities of these remarkable animals. The power of Mr. Wise's writing is such that the notion of subjecting these animals to cruel scientific experiments and the like seems unthinkable, and liberation suddenly appears to be a quite reasonable and humane thing to do.

In short, I highly recommend this compassionate, original and thought-provoking book to everyone who cares about animals. While the legal system may not yet have recognized the validity of Mr. Wise' argument, this book will no doubt help the good lawyer secure a favorable ruling in the court of public opinion.

This is the book which introduced me to the world of animal intelligence and emotion. In Steven Wise's book, he dedicates chapters to an African Grey parrot, a pair of dolphins, an elephant matriarch, an orangutan, Koko the gorilla, Wise's own family dog, and even spends a chapter describing the intricate communication of honeybees. Wise is a lawyer, and so his goal in the book is to analyze whether or not these "nonhuman animals" (I love that wording!) fit the criteria to deserve rights under the law. Some of them do (by his estimation), and some of them don't... but Wise's writing style draws you in and his stories about the various animals he meets are fascinating (my favorite was Alex the parrot). Animal lovers will feel vindicated, and those who are unsure on the subject of animal rights may find themselves swayed by Wise's strong arguments. The writing is a little scientific at times, but the book is well worth the effort!

If you care about our animals, buy this book.
If you care about our environment, buy this book.
If you care about your health, buy this book.

After reading this book, you'll not only know the issues, you'll understand them - in a way that you'll be able to debate (and hopefully pursuade) those who don't.

you'll also realize that you have feelings.

Powerful reading and, believe it or not, this is not depressing reading; rather it is very uplifting.

While Wise believes that all animals should be treated with compassion and kindness, he uses "pratical autonomy" in this book in order to use the legal system. Wise states that in order for courts to actually grant rights to animals there needs to be more than a philosophical reason. Because many humans lack full autonomy, including infants and the handicapped, Wise sets forth a pratical way of granting rights to nonhuman animals.

He goes through several species of aniamls and lists evidence for autonomy. I even thought he did not give enough credit to animals and "evidence" that I have read about it. However, this works for his case and skeptical readers. By putting animals in categories, although based on a human yardstick, Wise hopes to grant rights to certain animals.

This is a ground-breaking book. Read it if you love animals, read it if you hate animals. I garuntee you will learn a lot you diddn't know. I have an African Grey Parrot myslef who is extreemily intelligent, so when flipping through the book for the the first time, I was delighted to spot the chapter 'Alex'. Alex is an African Grey who is famous throughout the bird world for his intelligence. Naturally I read this chapter right away, and was worried that the rest of the book would not live up to the expectations I developed from reading 'Alex' However; the rest of the book was fantastic. I have a brand new understanding of non-human animals and the rights the should have.

Amazon dot com kills animals by supporting the fur industry.

I liked the book, but am saddened that I bought it from a company that SELLS FUR. I am sick and sad that I ever gave Amazon a single dime. I am not the only one. Amazon execs should understand that there are many more people out here who are offended at the butchering deaths of helpless animals for ridiculous VANITY, than there are people who would actually go to amazon to buy their FUR COATS. I ask that others please reconsider buying any more products from these people until they stop selling fur, and stop sending out cookie-cutter form letters to those of us who give a damn about the lives of others. (No, it is not enough to claim that they're merely trying to "give the customer what they want even if it offends some people. Would they say that if I wanted to buy heroin? If I wanted to buy a nuclear weapon? If I wanted to buy an Indonesian House Boy??? Not good enough. Some things are so reprehensible that society demands that they NOT sell them. Although, I'm sure that if they could, they would, so long as it was profitable.)

Take the profit out of death and join me in boycotting Amazon. And tell your friends. There are hundreds of other sites that sell great books, often cheaper, that do not profit from the deaths of innocent animals.

Wow, this book was really fascinating. I was so glad I purchased it! I'll admit, I had my inhibitions about it. The book, I knew, was about judging animal's cognitive abilities in order to grant them 'personhood' and rights so I figured the author was a more elitist type who would look down on the more 'unintelligent' animals. I was pleasantly mistaken. I have a lot of admiration for the author. He is definitely an ardent animal rights advocate and he actually practices what he preaches. I strongly admire his goal to gain 'personhood' for nonhuman animals. You will see when you first start the book that his stance on scrutinizing the status of animals in society via their intellectual capabilities is the most appropriate way to gain rights for animals at the present time.

So onto the book: it explores the cognitive abilities honeybees, dogs, parrots, dolphins, elephants, orangutans, and gorillas. I had always wanted to read these kinds of books. I have known about Alex and Koko but books about them have been difficult to find! I found myself really drawn into it. Some of the intellectual feats of the animals just have you going 'wow'... they will boggle your mind. One thing to note is that not all of the information is cut and dry. Some of the concepts and tests of the mental abilities are complex. Wise goes through Piaget's child development stages and you have to recall the stages to grasp some of the abilities he describes in regards to the different animals.

The only gripe I had was that I pondered how the author would grant rights to different animals considering the circumstances. He makes an excellent case for why we should, the obstacles involved, but not how to do it... perhaps another book? Still all in all it was a superb, fascinating book. I really wish everyone would read it. :)

Steven Wise accomplishes his goal admirably in his latest book. That is, he explains how consistant logic when applied to our current legal system mandates animal rights. Ironically, his critics within the animal rights movement apparently did not read the book. Mr. Wise makes it very clear that he is making a legal argument not a philosophic one. After all, we have Tom Regan addressing the philosophic issues of animal rights. I think Mr. Wise is to be commended for bringing his expertise in law to the table and exposing the inconsistancies that exist in our judical systems treatment of animals. I also think he does an excellent job of making the information accessible to those of us without a legal background. He does a super job of making a potentially dry subject riveting. Good job, Steve and thank you! Jean Swingle Greek, co-author of Sacred Cows and Golden Geese and Specious Science

Drawing the Line by Stephen M. Wise is a deep and compassionate understanding of the evolution of mankind from the primitive creatures such as chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans who came before the Cromagnon and Neanderthal precursors of homo sapiens. Professor Wise, an attorney for animal rights, describes such animals' autonomy and the visual memory that enables them to find and often to deplete food in the wild. The author sketches their ability to learn to mimic people and even to pronounce words, which leads to a kind of dialogue with their caretakers in zoos. I am reminded of a baby girl I recently watched on a beach who had just celebrated her first birthday and who was learning to walk barefoot and to keep her balance on the sand. As she fell and rose many times, she saw a little boy of about three and one-half years who was shoveling sand into a purple pail. She immediately left her grandparents and walked about fifty feet to the little boy and sat down across from him and took the pail and tried valiantly to fill it with sand. Then she picked up the pail and carried it to her grandmother, who returned it to the boy. The girl then sat down again near the boy, and he helped her fill the pail. She was so intrigued and happy to have made a new young friend! Each time she felt the need for the security of her grandparents, she went back to touch home plate, then again returned to her new-found buddy. Her autonomy, familiarity, and contentment with him were observed by many, who praised her successful follow-through with a potential playmate. As I watched her, Professor Wise's story of the animals, with their developing human habits, humor, and playful signals, became more and more relevant to me, especially the passage in which the author finally meets Koko, a gorilla who uses red crayon as lipstick and practices deception and humor and is even sophisticated enough to use a toilet. It has been a very wonderful experience to read this book, which brings back memories of my anthropology course many years ago at the University of Cincinnati.