Scientists have long counseled against interpreting animal
behavior in terms of human emotions, warning that such
anthropomorphizing limits our ability to understand animals as they
really are. Yet what are we to make of a female gorilla in a German
zoo who spent days mourning the death of her baby? Or a wild female
elephant who cared for a younger one after she was injured by a
rambunctious teenage male? Or a rat who refused to push a lever for
food when he saw that doing so caused another rat to be shocked?
Aren't these clear signs that animals have recognizable emotions
and moral intelligence? With "Wild Justice" Marc Bekoff and Jessica
Pierce unequivocally answer yes.
Marrying years of behavioral and cognitive research with
compelling and moving anecdotes, Bekoff and Pierce reveal that
animals exhibit a broad repertoire of moral behaviors, including
fairness, empathy, trust, and reciprocity. Underlying these
behaviors is a complex and nuanced range of emotions, backed by a
high degree of intelligence and surprising behavioral flexibility.
Animals, in short, are incredibly adept social beings, relying on
rules of conduct to navigate intricate social networks that are
essential to their survival. Ultimately, Bekoff and Pierce draw the
astonishing conclusion that there is no moral gap between humans
and other species: morality is an evolved trait that we
unquestionably share with other social mammals.
Sure to be controversial, "Wild Justice" offers not just
cutting-edge science, but a provocative call to rethink our
relationship with--and our responsibilities toward--our fellow
animals.
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