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Animal Wise: The Thoughts and Emotions of Our Fellow Creatures Audiobook
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(3.98) - 159 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Noted science writer Virginia Morell explores the frontiers of research on animal cognition and emotion, offering a surprising and moving exploration into the hearts and minds of wild and domesticated animals. Have you ever wondered what it is like to be a fish? Or a parrot, dolphin, or elephant? Do they experience thoughts that are similar to ours, or have feelings of grief and love? These are tough questions, but scientists are answering them. They know that ants teach, earthworms make decisions, and that rats love to be tickled. They’ve discovered that dogs have thousand-word vocabularies, that parrots and dolphins have names, and that birds practice their songs in their sleep. But how do scientists know these things? Animal Wise takes us on a dazzling odyssey into the inner world of animals from ants to wolves, and among the pioneering researchers who are leading the way into once-forbidden territory: the animal mind. With thirty years of experience covering the sciences, Morell uses her formidable gifts as a story-teller to transport us to field sites and laboratories around the world, introducing us to animal-cognition scientists and their surprisingly intelligent and sensitive subjects. She explores how this rapidly evolving, controversial field has only recently overturned old notions about why animals behave as they do. She probes the moral and ethical dilemmas of recognizing that even “lesser animals” have cognitive abilities such as memory, feelings, personality, and self-awareness–traits that many in the twentieth century felt were unique to human beings. By standing behaviorism on its head, Morell brings the world of nature brilliantly alive in a nuanced, deeply felt appreciation of the human-animal bond, and she shares her admiration for the men and women who have simultaneously chipped away at what we think makes us distinctive while offering a glimpse of where our own abilities come from.
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"What a thought-provoking book. And it was well organized. Each chapter was about a different animal species. And many about animals I would never have thought about at all--ants, fish, rats. And though I would have picked the studies on dogs or dolphins as my favorites before I read this book, I have to admit, the chapters on the fish and rats may have been the most enjoyable and informative sections. I can just picture the archer fish lined up in their tank, staring out. And the rats, asking to be tickled again. We humans have a long way to go in understanding other species, but more and more, we are made to face the fact that we may all have similar capacities for feeling and thinking. We may do it and show it in different ways, but it's there in all of us! Something to ponder."
— Paula (4 out of 5 stars)
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“Why is it that until very recently, many scientists claimed that animals can’t think? Every pet owner knows better, and Virginia Morell is our champion. But she’s not going on guesswork and opinion—Animal Wise is thoroughly and meticulously researched. And it’s a page-turner—a window to the natural world that will change the way we view other species. We place ourselves at the top of the evolutionary ladder. Of course we do. We invented the ladder. In her marvelous book, Morell displays the folly of this viewpoint. Animal Wise is fabulous!”
— Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, New York Times bestselling author of The Hidden Life of Dogs -
“After you read this book, you will be convinced that many different animal species have true thoughts and emotions. You will take a journey to the center of the animal mind.”
— Temple Grandin, New York Times bestselling author of Animals in Translation and Animals Make Us Human -
“Morell’s Animal Wise is science writing at its best. Here she not only translates scientists’ jargon and data into enviable prose, but transmits her love of the field to her audience. Novice readers will be enthralled to learn about the intelligence of the creatures in this book, and experts will be extremely pleased to see how she makes their work and that of their colleagues accessible to everyone.”
— Irene Pepperberg, New York Times bestselling author of Alex & Me -
“It is nice to see a science writer of Virginia Morell’s distinction take on this increasingly important topic, and it is good to have her calm and careful voice added to the conversation. She has a great deal to teach us about the latest research on the frontiers of this fascinating new world. Animal Wise is a fine book.”
— Jeffrey Masson, New York Times bestselling author of When Elephants Weep -
“This charming book about animal intelligence…has a nice arc to its structure—working from generally more basic (although still remarkable) cognitive abilities of creatures like adventurous ants to the complex thinking of chimps—and it is threaded through with philosophical questions that are as thought-provoking as the creatures and experiments she chronicles.”
— Smithsonian Magazine -
“Morell passionately and consistently proves her point in this frequently fascinating study of animal behavior…[She] is a gifted writer with a deep knowledge base that never talks down to the reader or the academic community—no small feat.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review) -
“[A] delightful exploration of how animals think…Morell makes a fascinating, convincing case that even primitive animals give some thought to their actions.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review) -
“Kirsten Potter narrates this wide-ranging account of animal cognition. With a clear voice and empathetic tone, Potter embraces the personality of Morell’s style, using reflective questions to engage the listener and varying accents and pitches to distinguish a variety of researchers. Notably, Potter doesn’t hesitate in her vocalizations of the calls and sounds of the many animal subjects, strengthening the argument for their inherent capabilities and unique qualities.”
— AudioFile
Awards
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A 2013 Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist for Science & Technology
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Kirkus Reviews’ Best Books, Best Nature and Environment 2013
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A Barnes & Noble bestseller
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A Library Journal bestseller
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A 2014 ALA Notable Book for Adult Nonfiction
Animal Wise Listener Reviews
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" Entertaining and informative. If you've read books like this before, you know the basic premise: humans can't go around attributing certain animal behaviors to emotions or thoughts and intentions without anthropomorphizing them (big word, I know). However, animals exhibit all kinds of behaviors that sometimes suggest they really do experience emotions etc. So it's that same stuff, with some of the stalwart examples, like Jane Goodall and her chimps. But there are really cool chapters on elephants and dolphins that I found especially fascinating. Good read. "
— Rebecca, 2/9/2014 -
" The only problem I see with this book is that it has turned me into a guilt-ridden omnivore. "
— Joe, 2/1/2014 -
" I wasn't a huge fan of how this was written. Also, if you are an animal lover, there is nothing really new here-- all living creatures have minds, think and feel emotions and most of all, they all deserve our respect. "
— Christine, 1/29/2014 -
" Worthwhile read. Worth it too see where science is on understanding our fellow brethren; the animals... "
— Eduardo, 1/8/2014 -
" This book had the potential to be one of the kind I really enjoy, but somehow the writing was not as full of life and humor as I like. Lots of neat details of animals that I didn't know, though, made it worthwhile. "
— Debbie, 12/12/2013 -
" Fascinating facts about a wide variety of animals from ants to dolphins. Also interesting to learn a little about people that study them for their entire lives. After reading this it boggles the mind how scientists have made so many assumptions about the absence of thought or feeling in animals. "
— Ruth, 11/26/2013 -
" Very interesting and I learned quite a bit. "
— Laura, 11/15/2013 -
" Based on the teasers I'd been looking forward to reading this but even though I'm interested in the subject, it just seemed like there wasn't a ton of information about animal behavior and in its place lengthy passages about the animal behaviorists and their research careers "
— Kevin, 8/20/2013 -
" Fascinating and informative survey. See my Amazon review. "
— Angie, 6/15/2013 -
" One of the best books I have read. a complex and controversial subject boiled down to its essence with plenty of scientific evidence, beautiful stories, and engaging prose to prove its central thesis. A must read, especially for animal lovers. "
— Mahesh, 6/7/2013 -
" Was ok, cool facts but it took along time getting to them and I got bored with it. "
— Christine, 5/16/2013 -
" I have always known that animals are emotional and reasoning creatures. My experiences with animal are anecdotal rather than experiential. My experience has been with cats and dogs. I was most surprised that fish can think and learn. "
— Sharon, 4/20/2013 -
" Animal Wise is an excellent read. If everyone would read this book it would be a better world. Love the passion of the researchers! Also demonstrates repeatedly how scientific thought evolves. One of those books which help us wake up to reality! "
— Jim, 3/15/2013
About Virginia Morell
Virginia Morell is a prolific contributor to National Geographic, Science, and Smithsonian, among other publications. She is also the author of Ancestral Passions, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year; Blue Nile; and coauthor with Richard Leakey of Wildlife Wars.
About Kirsten Potter
Kirsten Potter has won several awards, including more than a dozen AudioFile Earphones Awards and been a three-time finalist for the prestigious Audie Award for best narration. Her work has been recognized by the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts and by AudioFile magazine, among many others. She graduated with highest honors from Boston University and has performed on stage and in film and television, including roles on Medium, Bones, and Judging Amy.