Beyond Words What Animals Think and Feel Ebook
See a Problem?
Thanks for telling us about the problem.
Friend Reviews
Reader Q&A
As for "genetic modification" I think you are alluding more to selective breeding, which in a sense humans are already doing by killing those with the biggest tusks, and removing those genes from the pool. Traumatizing young animals is no solution. Either way, you're talking about removing something which evolved because it served a purpose, something integral to what makes an elephant. Don't change the victims, change the perpetrators. (less)
Community Reviews
Over a dozen essay-chapters for each of the three featured species on various topics makes for a nice level of depth and a delightful spectrum of examples of the amazing ways these animals are geniuses in their own lives and sensitive beings in their own ways. It was a great catch-up for me as I haven't read much on animal behavior studies since syntheses by Jane Goodall on chimps, John Lilly on dolphins, and Barry Lopez on wolves some decades ago (recent exceptions being De Waal on primate empathy and Sapolsky on baboon societies). In example after example, we are shown how acts of individuals from these species bear resemblance in multiple ways to human behaviors associated with the full range of emotions: love, empathy, joy, envy, jealousy, pride, shame, pity, grief, and likely awe and magnanimity. One can never know what their true feelings are like since they can't speak, but close analogy to the human forms is a simpler, even scientific, supposition compared to the alternative that they emerged in exalted form in humans and limited forms only in our "higher" primate cousins. Besides, these emotions as well as exalted cognitive feats of humans are often beyond characterization by language and mean different things to different people (e.g. is love more a state of freedom or dependence?). Just as with human families or tribes, elephant, wolf, and killer whale counterparts can be flexible in composition between strictly biological members or outsiders adopted into them.
For the people watching them over the years, the animals' individual personalities shine through no less than what we experience with our own pets. And their personalities seem obviously critical to their success or challenges in the social roles they assume. Yes, we get a special amplification of social memory and abstract communication with human language, but is this capability a difference in degree or a qualitative leap above particularly brainy animals? Though animals may have a pretty extensive range of communication calls and signals and primitive levels of syntax and generativity when taught symbolic modes of communicating with humans, what stands out is their ability to "read" each others' intentions and feelings without words. And touch is a persistent and universal mode of sharing emotions and social cohesion among the three species (as well as dolphins and primates). Of course nobody really knows what is conveyed in the rich sonar and aural productions of Cetaceans, the howling of wolves, the recently discovered complex vocalizations of elephants in the low frequency range below human hearing, and the repertoire of gestures being uncovered among gorillas and other apes.
A case of a female Yellowstone wolf with a bullying, despotic personality being exiled from the pack by her own sisters
The careers of particular animals conveyed by Safina come off as characters in a history or story. For example, one wolf, Number Six, seems in every way "The Prefect Wolf." She successfully manages the largest packs ever known and with such harmony fights are rare. She is such a hunter that she singlehandedly killed two elk in one day. When an intruder is cornered in defeat, she dispenses mercy by letting him go instead of meting out a fatal attack common to others in the same situation. And we learn of one elephant matriarch who has been the leader of the herd for decades, maintaining lifelong bonds with her children. She uses essential knowledge of their world for navigating long foraging treks to known sources of water and food at particular times of the year, and the skills of marshalling her family to successfully address dangers to young or infirm members in the face of predators. Similar stories and observations apply to examples of the female leaders of a wolf pack and a killer whale pod, but longevity of killer whales puts them more in line with the elephants for their memory as a cultural repository and survival benefit for the family.
A female killer whale in Peuget Sound playing with her three-year daughter. Children are rare in this salmon eating species in decline, and this one was killed accidentally by naval practice gunnery or demolition
The efforts to get to know these species in their natural state in the wild are confounded by stresses and losses due to impacts of mankind. More and more what gets observed by their long-term monitors is angle both on pathology and resilient adaptation to changes in their environment, food sources, and unnecessary deaths of key family leaders. The social devastation to family structure and survival is covered in examples from each species in the aftermath a losses of the matriarch. In the case of elephant and wolf examples, the parks in Kenya and Yellowstone are too small to protect species whose range goes outside park and, for elephants, do not a sufficient barrier to poaching. The continuing decline of killer whales in the Pacific Northwest reflects loss of their salmon prey, pollution such as lead, boating or fishing accidents, or adverse impacts of naval operations such as from sonar blasts or demolition (as many as ten species specialize in different food prey, such as seals among their Arctic cousins). As we can see clearly from Safina's narrative the loss of key family members can mean death to a whole family from the disruption of missing leadership, cultural knowledge, and the emotional center for adults and infants alike. He emphasizes how we need to be aware of these consequences and hopefully get more serious about halting the continuing decline in each species' populations still going after reductions of 90% or more in their numbers and ranges over the last couple of hundred years.
Safina's writing is accessible to general readers and jargon free. For example, he refrains from even using words like ecological niche or altruism. I applaud his deflating claims of neuroscience of accounting for unique capabilities of humans, although at one point he countenances with objection claims that over-aggressiveness, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and autism are caused by deficiencies in neural systems using serotonin as a transmitter to account for. Usually he is honest and humble on areas of speculation. I appreciated a lot his pondering of the special consciousness elephants seem to have about death and the meaning of incredible restraint among killer whales in never attacking humans. But I had the most pleasure with his handling of the discovery that wolves and dogs are the same species and theories that wolves domesticated themselves in adapting to cooperation with humans, in the process selecting for genes that promote more social, less aggressive juvenile psychology at maturity (technically termed "neoteny", though not used by him ). Here's some of his line of thinking as an example of his accessible discourse:
It's been said that no two species are more alike than wolves and humans. If you watch wolves not just in all their beauty and adaptability but in all their brutality, it's hard to escape that conclusion. … Living as we do in family packs, fending off the human wolves among us, we can easily recognize in real wolves their social dilemmas and status quests. No wonder Native Americans saw wolves as a sibling spirit.
Consider the similarities between male wolves and men. They're quite striking. Males of very few species directly enhance the survival of females or young year-round. …
Helping procure food year-round, bringing food to babies, helping raise young to full maturity over several years, and defending females and offspring against all individuals who threaten their safety is a very rare package to find in a male. Human males and wolf males—that's about it. And of the two, the more dependably faithful isn't us. Male wolves more reliably stick with the program, helping raise young and actually helping females survive.
Chimpanzees seem much closer to us, but male chimps don't help feed babies or bring food back to the home site. Wolves and humans can understand each other better. That's one reason why we invited wolves, instead of chimpanzees , into our lives. Wolves and dogs and us; it's not surprising that we found one another. We deserve one another. We were made for one another.
…A wolf knows who to protect and who to attack and how to defend to the death. That obsession for distinguishing friend from foe is one we share. It's why we since deep antiquity we have viewed wolves as everything from guards to gods.
To watch wild wolves is to recognize a kindred creature by turns riveting, horrifying, and admirable. It's also to see how many of our dogs' tendencies and talents were fully formed in the wild, and remain intact in our homes.
In dogs, we've bred the people we wish we could be: loyal, hardworking, watchful, fiercely protective, intuitive, sensitive, affectionate, helpful to those in need. No matter how they originated, their feelings are real to them. Your dog genuinely loves you, as you, in your domesticated state, activating the deep, old parts of your brain, love your dog.
Though Safina does take humans to task for arrogance and blundering in his Biblical dominion over animals, he does find hopefulness in the progress of our self-domestication toward a more pro-social biology. He doesn't delve into the debate over the cultural versus biological bases of human murder and war. I close with some inspiring thoughts of his about underpinnings of peace in our nature:
Aren't we, by fits and starts, even through the darkness of unspeakable human horrors, always searching for peace, always seeking more perfect ways of taming ourselves? Self-domestication does indeed seem part of the human program. The process of becoming more civil is called civilization.
…What is certain: our view of ourselves as post-evolutionary, purely cultural creatures, standing outside selection pressures and in control of our fate is wrong. We tend to think that humans evolved, then stopped evolving and started culture. Far from it. The onset of agriculture and the flowering cultures of civilization were themselves enormous changes in the human environment, massively altering selective pressures. Pressures to maintain a hunter's size and strength relaxed, while pressure to behave cooperatively, expand social skills, and suppress violent urges intensified.
When I think about the book, I automatically say, "I liked that A LOT", so four stars.
When I chose to read this book I thought I was going to get something like The Genius of Dogs: How Dogs Are Smarter than You Think which I gave four stars, but rather than concentrating solely on dogs the focus would cover many animals. Carl Safina's book is wider in scope and completely different in focus.
Review to come. Do I love it....or do I like it a lot? I do definitely want everyone to read this book.When I think about the book, I automatically say, "I liked that A LOT", so four stars.
When I chose to read this book I thought I was going to get something like The Genius of Dogs: How Dogs Are Smarter than You Think which I gave four stars, but rather than concentrating solely on dogs the focus would cover many animals. Carl Safina's book is wider in scope and completely different in focus. Hare's book is very good, but Safina's is better, in my view! Hare's book draws conclusions by looking at particular experiments, stipulating how they were carried out and analyzing their results. It is a book about the latest scientific studies on dogs' cognitive abilities.
Some of the conclusions drawn in reference to dog behavior are briefly referred to in Safina's book. Safina's book is less about scientific experiments. Safina's book is based on studies of animals in the wild and the resultant conclusions that can be drawn. At first, statements made had me asking, "Where is your proof?!" By the end I was totally in sync with what the author was stating.
There are lengthy sections devoted to the study of elephants, wolves and killer whales, alternately known as orcas (Orcinus orca). They belong to the dolphin family, are toothed and are its largest member. Take one guess what their name implies, yet they do not hurt human beings! I found that revealed about the whales and the elephants utterly fascinating. That about the wolves I found a bit long-winded. We follow the fission of a wolf pack. There are shorter sections on other, widely varied animals (some examples being chimpanzees, bonobos, hyenas, falcons, dogs and bats), the point being to show their emotional and intellectual capacity. We are an animal too and we share a common bond. The author vividly exemplifies how we are similar and how we differ. What is striking are the cognitive and emotional similarities while our outward appearances so differ.
The author goes a step further and proposes ideas that are controversial - on self-domestication, anthropomorphism, empathy, intelligence and understanding. It is here the book gets MOST interesting! Great for lively discussions. I like that he steps back and questions where the facts and evidence seem to point while at the same time stressing what remains unknown. After reading this book, one look at animals, even insects, fish and turtles with a new perspective. It is much more difficult to be cruel to a thinking and emotional creature.
Authors should NOT read their own books! The author does that here. Yes, I could understand what was said, but often he reads too fast. Way too fast. HE is at home with the ideas presented and to him they are not new. Speaking for myself, I had to stop and consider what exactly self-domestication implies and what are its consequences. There are concepts that must be thought about to fully absorb their significance. There is one section concerning some of the author's pet peeves, an example being the mirror mark test, also known as the mirror self-recognition test (MSR). He was so very angry he simply couldn't hold himself back; listening became a difficult task. It was hard to keep up with him! I was also disappointed when different animal calls were spoken. In an audiobook it would have been perfect to let us hear them!
The author is a famed conservationist, a marine biologist and has a PhD in ecology from Rutgers University. Reading this book was fascinating due to its depth of information and the wisdom I found in the lines. Here is one quote:
If the world can no longer afford the luxury of natural beauty, then it will be overcome by its ugliness. …..In an entirely man-made world there can be no room for man either.
He dares to ask uncomfortable questions about human behavior. He shows us the nonsensicality of assumptions we have relied on in the past. He shows us that man must begin to work with nature in a moral and ethical manner
...more
Safina is persuasive enough to convince anyone but the most rigid that "mere animals" share much with us, in terms of intelligence, emotions, sense of humor, and individuality- not to mention social groups and ties.
I thought it an excellent point that , regarding many of the "tests" for animal intelligence, etc.- most humans would not pass them. Dogs are stupid because they can be fooled? What ab
Humans are human- and we are also animals, with our physical lives on a continuum with other animals.Safina is persuasive enough to convince anyone but the most rigid that "mere animals" share much with us, in terms of intelligence, emotions, sense of humor, and individuality- not to mention social groups and ties.
I thought it an excellent point that , regarding many of the "tests" for animal intelligence, etc.- most humans would not pass them. Dogs are stupid because they can be fooled? What about humans victimized by con artists? And, OK, my cat is not going to write a symphony... but then, neither am I!
This book is beautifully written, and brings many of the other denizens of our world alive.
Highly recommended, both for people interested in the other animals that share our planet, and for sf authors interested in writing persuasive aliens.
I received this book in exchange for writing a fair review, from LibraryThing.
...more
The military is allowed to bomb in the Olympic Coast Marine Sanctuary. Bomb in a sanctuary! Every time it happens dead whales are found with hemorrhages all over their bodies.
But this book is also filled with joy. Readers will grow to love the families that are followed here, whales, elephants, and wolves. They do think and they are intelligent. Beyond Words will make you laugh in delight but will also make you shed a few tears.
...more
That is not to say this was not a good book. For those who prefer a much more conversational approach this book may have even been pleasant to read. And for anyone interested in animal societies and animal ways of being this book is certainly worth the effort it may take to push through it. Otherwise it may be a better idea to watch a PBS Nature special on Netflix.
...more
This author goes above and beyond anything I've read from a non fiction book, this not only read like a novel, this read like a poetic work of art. Like, this guy rivals Josiah Bancroft with his use of
So often when I recommend a non fiction book I like it because it reads like a novel, and not like a textbook. Although textbooks can provide you with a lot of information, often it's difficult to retain because it's just a long list of facts and data and no easy way to have substantial retention.This author goes above and beyond anything I've read from a non fiction book, this not only read like a novel, this read like a poetic work of art. Like, this guy rivals Josiah Bancroft with his use of simile and metaphor, the way he wrote sucked you into the moments he was living. He went to Africa to study with the experts to write this book, and it could not have turned out any better.
If you have a love of animals, get this book.
If you've ever wondered how unique humans are with their emotions, family relations, problem solving, and intelligence get this book.
If you've ever sat and admired Discovery Channel, been at the zoo and stared at the animals wondering what they were thinking or feeling, get this book.
If you've studied Ethology (animal behavior) Biology or Zoology and all your life you've been told it goes against science to "anthropomorphize" get this book and realize why this is an archaic way of thinking.
If you believe in evolution, you'll know that nothing just springs out of no where, nature and biology build on itself. Yes, there are random mutations, but they are random mutation for *pre-existing genetic structure*. A mouse will never randomly mutate and have wings for example., it's not in it's background dna, it's not possible. However, sometimes humans are born with tails, because we do evolve from animals that have tails.
So, where did our emotions come from, where did our intelligence come from? It was built off the backbone of evolution, we are not supremely unique in our ability to form bonds with other individuals of the same species. We are not unique in our family ties. We are not unique with our intellegence. We may have capitolized on our large brains in ways other species haven't, but to assume other animals have *none* of those qualities in any way is ludicrous. It was so taboo for the longest time for any animal behaviorist to suggest there were emotions and feelings in other animals it could be a career ending paper to put forth that maybe we aren't alone in this.
This book explores what possibilities lie in the brains of other animals, and what evidence we have for intelligence in other species.
Elephants are one of my favorite animals of all time, and this book opens with the author in Africa working with one of the leading experts in the field - she's been there for over 40 years and has so much experience it boggles the brain. Reading about the herds and how they are structured was so captivating and endearing I was helpless to stop reading, but I wanted to take it slow and absorb every word.
If you've never had any of the above interests, pick this book up anyway and find a new passion in life.
http://weatherwaxreport.blog
...more
The book will take the readers in a journey to the forests, valleys and oceans, where they can literally live among the elephants, wolves, dogs, birds, chimpanzees, bats, dolphins and whales. The author, and so does th
Carl Safina, an author, professor and ecologist, presents us with his newest work "Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel (2015)", shedding some light on the mysteries of animal actions and behaviors within their own societies, and their interactions to the human world as well.The book will take the readers in a journey to the forests, valleys and oceans, where they can literally live among the elephants, wolves, dogs, birds, chimpanzees, bats, dolphins and whales. The author, and so does the evidence, portray these animals not like any other animals, but as individuals. Through a collection of observations by him and his fellow researchers, Safina touches the capability of animals to feel, to sympathize, to grieve, to help and seek help, or even to punish. How elephants feel the loss of a beloved, and even cover the corpse of a family member with dirt and tree branches, how the alpha wolf travels to the coyotes den, mascaraing them because they injured her pride, or how female dolphins play some seduction tricks on males to rescue a trapped friend who is not interested in mating with the hungry males, are some of many examples to the existence of conciseness within animal minds. Safina also highlights astonishing acts of intelligence that may not cross our minds; things we might have thought only us are capable of doing.
What is really interesting is that those scientists, when explaining how an animal does something, they refer to them with names; Ella, Treisa, Grace, or even numbers like 06, or 755. These names obtain, through the chain of events of their lives, certain personalities. This is the message the author wants to deliver: there is no "wolves do this" and "elephants do that"; each animal is an individual. Some Show toughness, shyness, or laziness, while others are simply playful and joyful. THEY ARE DIFFERENT.
...more
Reading this book is like sitting down with a friend or relative (albeit a smart and well-traveled one!) and listening to him philosophize as he recounts experiences in the field with some of the world's leading researchers on the behavior of free roaming animals. Safina is entertaining and is not above using some punny humor, particularly in chapter titles. Some of the experiences are hard to read; nature can be cruel. Others are funny. Most all are fascinating.
Generally, I read fiction at a rapid pace and assign myself a set number of daily nonfiction pages, like I would with medication or a homework assignment. Beyond Words was highly readable, and I found myself actually wanting to surpass my mandatory quota. I finished the book in three sittings, though I did find the prose a bit verbose at times. (Maybe I would have finished in two, with a bit more editing!)
I would have loved to enclose a few quotations from the text to make my points, but could not since I read an advance reader's edition prior to the book's release date. Recommended for those interested in animal behavior.
...more
1. it's almost like four books in one, with elephants, wolves, and killer whales, plus an intermission to explore the validity of concepts like 'theory of mind' & 'mirror neurons' &etc.;
2. each section has anecdotes + science + pleas to our humanity;
3. it's beautifully written, with a style or 'voice' I've not noticed in other books, and
4. it's newer than almost anything Yes I've read lots on the general subject before. And yes this is a long book. But I'm glad I'm making time for it because:
1. it's almost like four books in one, with elephants, wolves, and killer whales, plus an intermission to explore the validity of concepts like 'theory of mind' & 'mirror neurons' &etc.;
2. each section has anecdotes + science + pleas to our humanity;
3. it's beautifully written, with a style or 'voice' I've not noticed in other books, and
4. it's newer than almost anything else I've read and therefore gives me new understandings and new shocks at what ppl are *still* doing to harm animals and ecosystems (and, of course, ultimately, ourselves).
I'm ranking it with my other two very favorite books (for laypeople) on the (broad) subject, Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Why It's So Hard to Think Straight About Animals and Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?. I have given other related titles five stars & recommendations, but if you read these three you'll gain the most understanding & satisfaction, imo.
One thing I do disagree with the author about. I'm not looking for something that distinguishes humans from other animals because I feel that we're somehow 'transcendent' and I want science to back up my faith in that. No, I want to know what about us made us screw up so badly. An easy interpretation of the data could be that patriarchy is more aggressive, rapacious, and short-sighted than matriarchy, so that could be part of our problem. Written language might also have something to do with it, I'm afraid....
Heartbreaking book. Dense with concepts and information. A read to be savored. Let it make an impact on you.
"I'm not suggesting that humans and elephants have all the same emotions. Self-loathing seems uniquely human."
"I've seen an orangutan string and wear a bead necklace that no one taught her to make."
Bonobo is pronounced buh-NO-bo.
Wolves have been denigrated as 'wasteful.' Well, true, those so accused don't return to a carcass. No, they have learned that carcasses get poisoned in their absence.
Wolves are again fair game in Wyoming. No license, no limit, no season.
"By moving out of nature and onto farms, we became in a very real sense just another farm animal."
Regarding the experiments about whether an animal can recognize itself in a mirror... deeply flawed... "When a bird, say, attacks the mirror, it does so precisely because it believes the reflection is another individual--not itself.... It demonstrates self-concept. It doesn't 'fail' the mirror test.... It just doesn't understand reflection."
A better definition of species is offered here. "When free-living animals freely interbreed, they're the same species." According to that definition, there may be about a dozen species of killer whales.
Peter Tyack reminds us, "'There are hundreds of tests for human intelligence alone, but we still have trouble even defining human intelligence.'" "Who was more 'intelligent,' Pablo Picasso or Henry Ford?"
And now I get to look through the bibliography. Some books will appeal, even though I know that I shouldn't even bother with older books because so much of what we thought we knew is wrong, and so much new stuff is being learned. But I'll look anyway. And I'll continue to work towards a more vegan diet, and I'll continue to vote for leaders who vote green, and I'll continue to try to get everyone I know off bottled water and disposable tissues & napkins. (Etc.)
...more Safina explored the near extinction of wolves in the U.S. They were brought back to Yellowstone National Park to control the elk population. The wolves brought increased tourism and economic gain for the Park and state of Montana. Yet a few farmers complaints brought open season hunting and poaching back and a few more sport hunters thought they had more elk to shoot in the fall.
The most mindblowing of all the stories and research on animals was the killer whale and dolphins. Unbelievable how they have saved countless lives of people and dogs. Our capturing and holding them in captivity in zoos and marine parks is atrocious. Like elephants, they need to live with their families. Japan needs to stop overfishing and the U.S. and Canadian Navy must stop underwater bombing and sonar. Humans, as a species, are destroying the planet and the animal kingdom. This book reminds us of the fragility of the planet and why we need these animals to survive.
"A study in Yellowstone Science concluded that in one year, "approximately 94,000 visitors from outside the region came to the park specifically to see and hear wolves." They spent "a total of $35.5 million in three states." The market value of cattle and sheep killed by wolves (the value ranchers would have gotten when they sold them for slaughter) was about $65,000 per year."
"Betty is a New Caledonian crow who uses previous experience to reason through problems. Having learned what a hook is, she bends straight wire into hooks to reach food deep inside tubes. Presented with an array of wires, Betty chooses the correct length and diameter for the task before her."
"We don't really have enough to go on; there's not enough to analyze. We have. Few stories of free-living killer whales guidi people lost in fog; of whales seemingly returning lost dogs; of free-living killer whales Turing in circles as a person makes a circular motion with his finger, or returning a worn hat perfectly for the occasion, or seeing someone wave and waving back, of empathy-of sympathy."
"Yet when park ranger Roberto Bubas stepped into the water and played his harmonica, the same individual killer whales would form a ring around him like puppies. They rally playfully around his kayak and come as, by names he gave them, he called to them."
Safina argues that animals -- even down to the lowest levels -- are "whos", and not "its"; that they have personality, subjectivity, consciousness of both themselves and others, empathy, emotion, deep stores of love, jealously creativity, curiosity, immense intelligence, communication skills, and..., indeed, to allow a pun, immense humanity. Far more that we. That animals are not simply some step in a teleological ladder, whose pinnacle is man, but that each is an end it itself, living a meaningful and aware life, with talents and skills appropriate to what it is. An elephant or whale or bird can be mediocre or brilliant AS WHAT IT IS..., as what it is to be an elephant or whale or bird..., and cannot be measured by what a man can do. A man, after all, could not survive a lifetime in an ocean -- or in flight.
Safina does not have a degree in animal behavior or in neurosciences, and so is writing anecdotally and as a long-time, albeit intelligent observer, but not as an academic expert in his subject. He deplores the still current popularity of Behaviorism.
The book is mared by jokes and asides, some snark, and wearing his environmentalism on his sleeve -- and it is written for the non-specialist. Hence, one may deduct a star or more if one likes.
But for the layman like myself, it was a marvelous introduction to an astoundingly profound moving problem: what do animals think and feel, and how do we know.
...more
Safina is a gifted, even lyrical, writer, and he approaches the discussion about each of these marvelous creatures with respect, awe, and much humility. Of course, in the
What Animals Think and Feel by Carl Safina is a book brimming with amazing research and stories about the lives, abilities, the complex behaviors, and cultures of some of earth's most fascinating animals (notably—elephants, wolves, dogs, and cetaceans, though remarkable references to turtles and birds and others are here too).Safina is a gifted, even lyrical, writer, and he approaches the discussion about each of these marvelous creatures with respect, awe, and much humility. Of course, in the process of exploring the lives, and worlds, and context, of these beings who inhabit the earth along with us, the book says as much or more about us as human animals. One can only conclude that as a species, humans are the most oblivious, egotistical, small-minded, selfish, destructive, and often cruel creatures on God's green earth. (When will we learn that not everything is because of us, or for us, or about us?) Thankfully, there are those animal scientists, individual women and men, who are capable of seeing beyond the blinders of human exceptionalism, who are able to appreciate the life, and grace, and wonder around us. Will those few be enough to save life on earth? I'd like to believe it's possible.
...more
As an animal person myself, this was greatly enjoyable. It was amazing to see how animals that we consider "wild" and "untamed" are so much more than that. Humans love to consider themselves special and the most intelligent species in this planet, but what if we're measuring intelligence of other species using the wrong scale? That was one of the authors arguments that I found extremely compelling, as well as the argument that why does the scientific world deprive itsel
Actual Rating: 3.5/5 StarsAs an animal person myself, this was greatly enjoyable. It was amazing to see how animals that we consider "wild" and "untamed" are so much more than that. Humans love to consider themselves special and the most intelligent species in this planet, but what if we're measuring intelligence of other species using the wrong scale? That was one of the authors arguments that I found extremely compelling, as well as the argument that why does the scientific world deprive itself from applying human characteristics to animals, such as jealousy or being able to plan ahead of time.
The writing was very conversational and I think that worked really well with this book since the topic is one that can cause great debate if read with someone else or in a book club. It also made the reading much easier. I'm not keen on non-fiction, so the style of writing extremely helped me from dropping the book. So if you're someone that wants to get into non-fiction, and have no idea where to start, I would recommend this book. Because who doesn't like animals?
Now the issues I had were mainly the research the author used and how he presented it. At its core this book is argumentative, and like any good argument you're supposed to have done enough research on the pros and cons of both sides. However, he only presented to us research that proved his point and then deconstructed the opposing researching by showing how "ridiculous" it sounded, to him at least. As someone that does and studies research, I was greatly appalled by his disregard of some of it without even taking a glance at the actual study published. Furthermore, his demeaning tone for some psychological concepts and how little he knew about them while speaking like he had studied them his whole life was just not profesional in my opinion. One time to define a concept he used the Wikipedia page. Wikipedia. Unbelievable.
Overall, I still enjoyed it. I mainly like the second half of the book, while the first half with the elephants was quite slow and boring. It's a solid 3.5 stars for me.
...more
It took me a week to read the book. I had to put it down frequently, mostly because of the stories about how we've decimated the populations of th
The author makes the case that despite our history of denying that animals think and feel, they do both, in similar ways to humans. He illustrates this mostly with three long sections, one each on elephants, wolves, and killer whales. The book includes, in less detail, information on other animals including birds, great apes, dogs, fish, and tortoises.It took me a week to read the book. I had to put it down frequently, mostly because of the stories about how we've decimated the populations of these three species and many more. How we've tortured so many of them and said that it doesn't matter as they don't have feelings like we do. Not to mention our effect on the environment, which leaves little room for creatures other than us. For me, it was nothing new but nonetheless excruciating to read about.
Much of the information on elephants, wolves, and killer whales was about their family lives and how they communicate. All three of these species have strong female leadership and lifelong bonds between mothers and their children. They also have systems of meaningful vocalization that probably can be considered language. Each member of each of these species is a distinct individual with personality characteristics very similar to those of humans. The details of their lives in the wild are fascinating. The details of their individual and large-scale murders by humans are horrifying.
Besides the sections on the three species, there's a section called "Whines and Pet Peeves" with several chapters. This includes a lot about theory of mind, where someone understands that someone else has thoughts and feelings and objectives. Safina makes a strong case that many types of animals have that, with detailed examples. And that we are closely related, so why wouldn't they? And that human exceptionalism is not based on reality. He uses data and logic to basically shred the old ideas. I enjoyed his style of doing that.
Two quick quotes from that section: "Why do human egos seem so threatened by the thought that other animals think and feel? Is it because acknowledging the mind of another makes it harder to abuse them?" About the idea that a test of intelligence is being able to understand what one is seeing in the mirror (a number of animals can do that, but it used to be assumed it was a human thing), "Maybe a mirror is mainly a test for which species is the greatest narcissist."
I had already read some of the book's material in Frans de Waal's book Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?. De Waal also makes a strong case for animals and against humancentric schools of thought.
There's so much more. As far as I know, this book is state of the art of what we know about animals and about what we can conclude using observation, scientific inquiry, and common sense. Highly recommended.
...more
Wow, what can I say? This book is absolutely amazing. It's actually *beyond words* haha. I wish everyone in the world would read it!!!!
The bulk of the book is devoted to studying African elephants, North American wolves, and Pacific Northwest orcas (killer whales). Safina does an excellent job
In Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel, Carl Safina sets out on a global journey to listen to and understand animals on their terms and not ours. By the end of this book, I can guarantee that readers will come away with a greater appreciation for the self-awareness, intelligence, and empathy of the animals we share this planet with.The bulk of the book is devoted to studying African elephants, North American wolves, and Pacific Northwest orcas (killer whales). Safina does an excellent job of describing what he sees and learns as he travels with naturalists who have dedicated their lives to understanding these species.
We watch elephants caring for their young, playing, and mourning (something that happens all too often due to poachers). The elephants are named, and researchers can identify them them by sight — and we get a sense of the life histories of many of these elephants, histories that are no less complex and challenging than any human animal. We follow wolf watchers in Yellowstone, and while the wolves may be given numbers and not names, we learn their life histories in similar detail — histories that sadly include equally tragic encounters with humans.
I was struck by the similarities of risks both wolves and elephants face when they venture beyond human-drawn boundaries. In Africa, so long as elephants stay within national parks, they enjoy a greater degree of security; when they wander out of the parks, they run a gantlet of dangers. So too do the wolves who step outside the boundaries of Yellowstone. Hunters have gone so far as to use radio devices to track the electronic collars placed on wolves by researchers to know when wolves have crossed outside park boundaries (you can read Beckie Elgin's many reviews of wolf literature to grasp the full scope of the war being waged on wolves).
And then we meet the orcas in the waters surrounding the San Juan Islands. While I was aware that orcas have widely divergent diets — the residents of the San Juan Islands prefer salmon, while the transients who pass through prefer seals — I did not know that are eight distinct species of orca around the world, which scientists have not yet made official. We know so little yet about these animals. We do know that there is no documented case of an orca in the wild killing a human (only examples of orcas in captivity doing so). Orcas are members of the dolphin family, and the stories of kindness that this family have exhibited towards humans over the years are remarkable — leading lost swimmers and boaters to safety, protecting humans from sharks, rescuing a drowning woman. One may argue that these actions are merely instinctual, but as the evidence mounts I'm not sure that argument holds any weight.
Safina does not limit himself to a few species of animal. He digresses into stories about dogs, bonobos, ravens, tortoises, even worms. Stories that illustrate again and again that the animal world is far more intelligent and communicative that we have been led to believe (and perhaps want to believe). Darwin made the case long ago for the intelligence of non-human animals.
Safina does not hesitate to take scientists to task for the great efforts they have exerted to avoid the scientific "third rail" of anthropomorphism. Safina points out that scientists often try to apply measures of intelligence that simply don't make sense. The "mirror test" is one such measurement. (I'd like to think my cat has self awareness, even though he has yet to show any signs of recognizing himself in a mirror.)
As an aside, a hundred years ago scientists argued that vivisection on live animals was perfectly reasonable because animals were "machine-like" and felt no pain. I know we've come a long way since then, but we still have a long ways to go.
Safina writes that just because an animal can't talk doesn't mean it can't communicate. And if we judge animals by the standards we set, we miss the point. Animals don't need to measure up to our standards of intelligence — only their standards.
This is an important book and one that raises tough questions about not only how society views animals but how we treat animals — all animals. I would have liked to see Safina include a "what you can do" chapter to the book with actions we all can take. It's hard to walk away from this book and not wonder why we still eat animals. Safina does not draw this connection — and I'm clearly biased in this regard — but this is really the only conclusion we can draw. Animals evolve. Humans evolve. It's time humans evolve to a more equitable and respectful relationship with all animals. They've suffered us long enough.
I'll leave you with this quote:
If cruelty and destructiveness are bad, humans are by a wide margin the worst species ever to infest this planet. If compassion and creativity are good, humans are by a wide margin the finest. But we are neither simply good nor bad; we are all these things together, and imperfectly so. The question for all is: Which way is our balance trending?
(Review first appeared on EcoLit Books: www.ecolitbooks.com)
...more
Safina challenges the old school animal behaviorists who suggest that animals are incapable of thinking or feeling in any meaningful way. Unlike other animal activists researchers who go off the deep end, Safina's arguments, while some times anecdotal, are balanced and well thought out.
In one particularly good section of the book, Safina recounted his days at university, sitting in the classroom listening to lectures on the evils of a
Another nail in the "just so story" that humans are special.Safina challenges the old school animal behaviorists who suggest that animals are incapable of thinking or feeling in any meaningful way. Unlike other animal activists researchers who go off the deep end, Safina's arguments, while some times anecdotal, are balanced and well thought out.
In one particularly good section of the book, Safina recounted his days at university, sitting in the classroom listening to lectures on the evils of anthropomorphizing animal's actions. I too have sat in lectures along with myriad undergrads and grads who heard largely the same thing Safina did. It is bored into our brains that since we cannot speak the same language, we cannot ask animals what they think and feel, and thus it a sacrilege to anthropomorphize their actions. After all, we can only observe actions, not thoughts or feelings. We must take caution in our interpretation of these actions. Safina agrees with this but suggests that in fact the professors themselves have made assumptions. Safina claims it is just as wrong to assume they do not have emotions and feelings similar to humans. If we can only measure behaviors, then Safina cautions, just stop there. No need to come to unfounded conclusions that since humans can't observe a feeling or thought, that it does not exist. Great argument.
He goes onto make some assumptions of his own. However, his arguments are largely based on a wonderfully balanced look at the shared neuroanatomy, neurochemicals, neurocircuitry, and so on, between animals and humans. He tries to understand if there might be feelings, to a lesser a degree, present in all animals, and even plants (to an even lesser degree) who share similar anatomy, chemicals, and so on. He wants to understand how all of the senses originated and how they diverged once they emerged. These are great questions.
Despite some anecdotal findings, Safina never enters the realm of sloppy science seen in cases involving Koko the gorilla. Trainers speak for Koko and want the world to believe that their mashup of their own interpretation + Koko's actions = fully sentient being (philosopher even!). This kind of "science" is tantamount to the "science" of facilitated communication that "helps" autistic individuals speak to the world. When the facilitators are able to let the public know what the person with autism has been thinking all this time, it is shocking, much like how shocking as it was to find out a guy who was in a coma for 12 years was aware of everything, even his mother wishing (for his sake) he would just die. However, it turned out that in the case of the autistic individual, we really don't know what they are thinking or are not thinking. When given a simple test, one which they can easily pass with the facilitator present, they fail when a different facilitator is present. In the end, it amounts to a ouija board. The facilitators really believe they are receiving signals from the hands on the keyboard, just as teen girls at a slumber party feel they are getting a signal from the hands on a ouija board. Koko's trainers engage in much the same kind of facilitated communication. Safina doesn't do this as much.
Also enjoyable in this book, Safina has a very self-reflective writing style. His whole goal is to try to understand if animals can think and feel like humans do. Yet, he constantly questions the validity of this quest. Such a great quality in a researcher/author/lecturer.
...more
Although he might be taking things a little bit too far sometimes (for example when arguing that wolves' fear of humans could be the outcome of a cost-benefit calculation and not say, an evolut
Just wonderful. Safina really delves deep into the 'who' of animals; there are so many animal anecdotes here that are just jaw-dropping (my favourite one involved a tiger stalking his human enemy for months; I'm also very unlikely to ever kill another wasp because SOME OF THEM CAN RECOGNISE YOUR FACE :|).Although he might be taking things a little bit too far sometimes (for example when arguing that wolves' fear of humans could be the outcome of a cost-benefit calculation and not say, an evolutionary repulsion to our smell) his main point is fair and important: that it's just as scientifically wrong to anthropomorphise animals as it is to do the opposite (objectify?).
Safina definitely has a huge beef with animal scientists who seek the 'theory of mind' in animals, then proceed to hail it as proof of their lack of sentience when the animals invariably fail their terribly designed experiments. He spends several incisive (and highly amusing) chapters on discrediting their efforts. It makes for an entertaining read but I felt like he never really gets to the definition of the ToM that actually matters -- of it being the opposite of solipsism, so: not just of recognising that others have minds, but acknowledging that those minds have the capacity to feel that is similar to one's own (this surely takes years to develop even in humans, if it develops at all). These are all minor (and possibly entirely my own) issues in a deeply satisfying whole.
A word of warning though: this book will leave you in a world of sadness. The author is a conservationist and conservationists, like climatologists, don't have much to be optimistic about. Large parts of the book are heart-breakingly sad and a proof that humanity truly is the cartoonish villain of the natural world. Though the book ends on a positive note, it's a very brief and forced-sounding positive note that is the opposite of reassuring.
...more
I'm running out of words to describe this book, and the way I feel about it. Safina is passionate, thought-provoking, persuasive, and compelling. His discussions of anthropomorphism and the evolution of the fields of behavior and the study of animal intelligence and emotions is unparalleled.
This is one of those books, like Silent Spring or A Sand County Almanac and Sketches Here and There, that marks a turning point for
Mind-blowing, breath-taking, stunning, amazing, outstanding, extraordinary.I'm running out of words to describe this book, and the way I feel about it. Safina is passionate, thought-provoking, persuasive, and compelling. His discussions of anthropomorphism and the evolution of the fields of behavior and the study of animal intelligence and emotions is unparalleled.
This is one of those books, like Silent Spring or A Sand County Almanac and Sketches Here and There, that marks a turning point for the philosophy of science and the public attitude towards an entire field. On top of that, it's also smoothly readable and one of those books packed with such engaging anecdotes and such amazing facts that you become a font of information to all those around you. (Kind of whether they wanted you to or not.)
Safina specifically focuses on dolphins, wolves, and elephants, and each section, on its own, would earn a five-star rating from me. Together, they make one of the most astonishing books I've ever read.
...more
Worst of all, he keeps comparing every living thing to his dogs. At least once every few pages. Good grief. I like dogs, I do, but if I never have to read another mentio
Over 500 pages of anecdotal ramblings and recycled content. Even if some observations are interesting in themselves, Safina just has to include his own interpretation of them, arguing for ridiculous or obvious things. I won't even go into details; the number of eyerolls and facepalms I experienced throughout the book is dreadful.Worst of all, he keeps comparing every living thing to his dogs. At least once every few pages. Good grief. I like dogs, I do, but if I never have to read another mention of Safina's dogs again it'll be too soon.
The chapter on elephants is somewhat boring, but digestible. The chapters on wolves and killer whales are decent, but, sadly, not free of these rambling and sometimes ridiculous interpretations. The third chapter... I can't even tell what's it about; just random stuff, I assume.
Very repetitive, often contradictory, and not well written. Safina should just stick to the facts & observations, and this would make the book so much more readable and shorter.
Do yourself a favor and read something else, with actual scientific content.
...more 
'Some animals are into music. My friend Darrel says that his tortoise "loves Mexican music" and starts running around when he hears it.'
I knew there was no hope and more or less skimmed through the rest. Towards the end it
What a chore to get through. It was the same story about the negative affect humans are having for the elephants, wolves and whales. I kept waiting for the science to arrive, instead I was inundated with story after story of animal watching. After reaching this gem on page 204:'Some animals are into music. My friend Darrel says that his tortoise "loves Mexican music" and starts running around when he hears it.'
I knew there was no hope and more or less skimmed through the rest. Towards the end it didn't surprise me to find an entire chapter devoted to recounting Youtube clips of animals. Save yourself a lot of time and watch some nature documentaries. Good grief, Safina may be an animal lover, but a writer or a scientist he is not.
...more
In short, while reading this book, I probably looked like I'd lost my mind. :)
Anyway, if I could afford to gift a copy to every person on the planet, I would -- and I've no d
This book!!!! I gave it to three different people for the holidays. It has been a very long time since a book a) moved me to tears, b) kept me riveted to the page, AND c) forced me to cast it down so I could pace in agitation while pondering the implications of the paragraph I'd just read...all within the space of an hour.In short, while reading this book, I probably looked like I'd lost my mind. :)
Anyway, if I could afford to gift a copy to every person on the planet, I would -- and I've no doubt the world would be a better place for it, too.
...more He lives on Long Island, New York with his wife Patricia, the two best beach-running dogs in the world, some chickens, a couple of parrots, and Frankie the kingsnake.
...moreNews & Interviews
Welcome back. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account.
Beyond Words What Animals Think and Feel Ebook
Source: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/22320456