The Emotional Lives of Animals by Marc Bekoff
Any dog owner knows that her own pet has feelings, but what evidence exists beyond the anecdotal, and what does this evidence teach us? Bekoff, professor emeritus of biology at the University of Colorado, pores through decades of animal research-behavioral, neurochemical, psychological and environmental- to answer that question, compelling readers to accept both the existence and significance of animal emotions.
Seated in the most primitive structures of the brain (pleasure receptors, for example, are biologically correlative in all mammals), emotions have a long evolutionary history. Indeed, as vertebrates became more complex, they developed ever more complex emotional and social lives, “setting rules” that permit group living- a far better survival strategy than going solo.
Along the way, Bekoff forces the reader to re-examine the nature of human beings; our species could not have perservered through the past 100,000 years without the evolution of strong and cohesive social relationships cemented with emotions, a conclusion contrary to contemporary pop sociology notions that prioritize individualism and competition. He also explores, painfully but honestly, the abuse animals regularly withstand in factory farms, research centers and elsewhere, and calls on fellow scientists to practice their discipline with “heart”.
Demonstrating the far-reaching implications for readers’ relationships with any number of living beings, Bekoff’s book is profound, thought-provoking and even touching.
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For more information, please visit http://literati.net/Bekoff/
Bio Continued: Marc’s work has been featured on 48 Hours, in Time Magazine, Life Magazine, U.S. News and World Report, The New York Times, New Scientist, BBC Wildlife, Orion, Scientific American, Ranger Rick, National Geographic Kids, on NPR, BBC, Fox, Natur GEO, in a National Geographic Society television special (“Play: The Nature of the Game”), in Discovery TV’s “Why Dogs Smile and Chimpanzees Cry,” and in Animal Planet’s “The Power of Play” and National Geographic Society’s “Hunting in America.” Marc has also appeared on CNN, Good Morning America, and 20/20.
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