Second nature : the inner lives of animals /

This small book aims to persuade readers to think well of animals. The book is organized into three sections: "Experience," "Coexistence," and "Emergence." "Experience" evaluates instances of animals' acting in ways that only humans are expected to act. Here, animal research scientist Balcombe (Pleasurable Kingdom, 2006) focuses on animal sensitivity, intelligence, emotions, and situational awareness. "Coexistence" outlines ways animals use sophisticated communication, cooperate and coexist with others (even other species), and show a moral sense. In "Emergence," Balcombe points out ways the media portrays "nature" as cruel and grimly competitive and then notes that humans are much crueler than animals. He ends this section by suggesting that humans need to end anthropocentric selfishness and become more aware of what they do to animals and the planet out of greed. He discusses instances in which people have generated regulations and adopted more-humane attitudes toward animals. The progression is clear and the evidence, though somewhat scattered, is useful for general audiences. The book offers readers much to think about in terms of moving away from the usually human-centered view of life. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates and general readers. J. A. Mather University of Lethbridge

Ethologist and author (Pleasurable Kingdom, 2006) Balcombe discusses the broad range of animal experience in this new examination of how animals view the world. As famous South African novelist J. M. Coetzee asks in his foreward, why should the onus fall on animals, whatever their species, to prove that they are sentient? Balcombe answers this question by showing, through a broad-ranging review of both the scientific and philosophic literature, that animals think and feel, that they are sentient and show morality, and that we can no longer treat animals cruelly and carelessly. By examining animal intelligence, perception, and awareness in the first section of the book, the author brings readers into the animals' experience and helps create appreciation for that experience. In the second section, Balcombe focuses on animal interactions and sociality, demonstrating the sophistication of communication in animals and their resulting emotions and morality. Finally, the author focuses on human coexistence with other animals and his views about how we need to change our treatment of these other sentient beings. Graceful prose makes this an excellent introduction to the examination of animal minds.--Bent, Nancy Copyright 2010 Booklist

Who knew that chickens and humans find the same faces beautiful? Or that fish choose reliable partners for "dangerous predator inspection missions?" Referencing such intriguing studies, Balcombe (Pleasurable Kingdom) builds a compelling case for blurring the line between animal and human perception, thereby questioning the prevailing scientific orthodoxy that humans alone possess the ability to reason. Over the years, studies have shown that animals have intelligence (dolphins have been known to teach themselves to delay gratification to get extra treats), emotions (like humans, baboon mothers show elevated levels of glucocorticoids after losing an infant), cunning (gorillas divert the attention of rivals from food, often by grooming); that they can communicate (nuthatches can translate chickadee chirps), can be altruistic (chimps who know how to unlatch a door help those who can't). Yet philosophers have routinely dismissed animals as unthinking, unfeeling beasts-Descartes grouped non-human animals with "machines," a line of logic that has been used to justify callous treatment of laboratory animals. Balcombe's brief, marred only slightly by sermonizing, builds to a passionate and persuasive argument for vegetarianism on both humanitarian and environmental grounds. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved