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

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New World Library, Apr 9, 2024 - Nature - 272 pages
A seminal exploration of animal emotion, sentience, and cognition, revised and expanded to incorporate a surge of new science

When award-winning scientist Marc Bekoff penned the first edition of this book in 2007, he predicted that over time our understanding of animal cognition and emotion would grow “richer, more accurate, and possibly different.” Since then, not only has the field seen an explosion of new and startling research, but the popular interest in the subject has grown as well, spawning countless podcasts, articles, and bestselling books.

Bekoff skillfully blends extraordinary stories of animal joy, empathy, grief, embarrassment, anger, and love with the latest scientific research confirming the existence of emotions that common sense and experience have long implied. Filled with light humor and compassion, The Emotional Lives of Animals is a clarion call for reassessing both how we view and how we treat animals.
 

Contents

The Gift of Animal Emotions
1
The Indisputable Case for Animal Emotions and Why They Matter
13
Cognitive Ethology Studying Animal Minds and Hearts
41
Beastly Passions What Animals Feel
55
Wild Justice Empathy and Fair Play Finding Honor among Beasts
93
Addressing Uncertainty and Anthropomorphism in the Study of Animal Minds
117
Ethical Choices Why Animal WellBeing Matters
133
Compassion and Justice for All
183
Acknowledgments
191
Endnotes
193
Bibliography
224
Index
233
About the Author
253
Copyright

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About the author (2024)

Marc Bekoff is professor emeritus of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He has published more than thirty books and writes regularly for Psychology Today. Jane Goodall is a world-renowned conservationist and animal advocate.

MarcBekoff.com

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