The Emotional Lives of Animals: A Leading Scientist Explores Animal Joy, Sorrow, and Empathy — and Why They Matter

234 Pages·2007·1.04 MB·English

by  Ph.D. Marc Bekoff

The Emotional
Lives of Animals
A Leading Scientist Explores Animal Joy,
Sorrow, and Empathy — and Why They Matter
MARC BEKOFF
FOREWORD BY JANE GOODALL
Contents
FOREWORD by Jane Goodall
PREFACE The Gift of Animal Emotions
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
CHAPTER 1 The Case for Animal Emotions and Why They Matter
CHAPTER 2 Cognitive Ethology: Studying Animal Minds and Hearts
CHAPTER 3 Beastly Passions: What Animals Feel
CHAPTER 4 Wild Justice, Empathy, and Fair Play: Finding Honor among
Beasts
CHAPTER 5 Hard Questions: Answering Skeptics and Addressing
Uncertainty in Science
CHAPTER 6 Ethical Choices: What We Do with What We Know
ENDNOTES
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
More praise for The Emotional Lives of Animals and Marc Bekoff
“An extraordinary, intelligent, and valuable book about a subject one
might be forgiven for thinking taboo since it is so absent from discussion:
an exploration of the other animals' feelings, the emotional makeup we
share with them yet often do not know exists, forget entirely, deliberately
ignore, or casually disregard. Here we see animals, whole and complete,
thinking their not-so-private thoughts, grieving, loving, jumping for joy,
and fleeing that which is painful or upsetting. And it makes us think about
who they are and what our impact is and can be on their lives. Marc Bekoff
not only captures poignant incidents of the animals' emotions as evidenced
by observations and pure commonsense but brings to each discovery his
own vital repertoire of human emotion and expression. A glorious, moving,
important book to enjoy and share.”
— Ingrid Newkirk, cofounder and president of
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
“A thought-provoking, compassionate, and scholarly work from one of
the world's most eminent behavioral scientists.”
— Dr. Ian Dunbar, founder of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers
and author of Before & After Getting Your Puppy
“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.”
— Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, author of
When Elephants Weep and The Emperor's Embrace
“Just as the best doctors attain detailed and compassionate knowledge
of the uniqueness of each patient, so too do the best behavioral biologists —
with Marc Bekoff prominently among them — learn to recognize each
animal as a distinct individual with its own internal life and experiences.”
— Stephen Jay Gould
“If there are Earth Saints among us, surely Jane Goodall and Marc
Bekoff qualify in their enduring commitment toward the sacred nature of
life.”
— Terry Tempest Williams
“[Bekoff] has a talent for making his points by leading readers through
the evidence for and against an issue and guiding them to a conclusion.”
— Booklist
ALSO BY MARC BEKOFF
Animal Passions and Beastly Virtues: Reflections on Redecorating Nature
Animals Matter (forthcoming in 2007)
Minding Animals: Awareness, Emotions, and Heart
Nature's Life Lessons: Everyday Truths from Nature (with Jim Carrier)
Species of Mind: The Philosophy and Biology of Cognitive Ethology
(with Colin Allen)
Strolling with Our Kin (a children's book)
The Ten Trusts: What We Must Do to Care for the Animals We Love
(with Jane Goodall)
EDITED BY MARC BEKOFF
Animal Play: Evolutionary, Comparative, and Ecological Perspectives
(with John Byers)
The Cognitive Animal: Empirical and Theoretical Perspectives on Animal
Cognition (with Colin Allen and Gordon Burghardt)
Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior
Encyclopedia of Animal Rights and Animal Welfare
Encyclopedia of Human-Animal Relationships: A Global Exploration of
Our Connections with Animals
The Smile of a Dolphin: Remarkable Accounts of Animal Emotions
New World Library
14 Pamaron Way
Novato, California 94949
Copyright © 2007 by Marc Bekoff
Foreword copyright © 2007 by Jane Goodall
All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means —
electronic, mechanical, or other — without written permission from the
publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.
Text design and typography by Tona Pearce Myers
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Bekoff, Marc.
The emotional lives of animals : a leading scientist explores animal joy, sorrow,
and empathy, and why they matter / Marc Bekoff ; foreword by Jane Goodall.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-57731-502-5 (hardcover : alk. paper)
1. Emotions in animals. I. Title.
QL785.27.B45 2007
591.5—dc22
2006038278
First printing, March 2007
ISBN-10: 1-57731-502-2
ISBN-13: 978-1-57731-502-5
Printed in Canada on 100% postconsumer waste recycled paper
New World Library is a proud member of the Green Press Initiative.
Distributed by Publishers Group West
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
For Jasper, the spokes-bear for hope and freedom,
and Pablo, chimpanzee CH-377,
two among far too many