Synopses & Reviews
Do animals think? Can they count? Do they have emotions? Do they feel anger, frustration, hurt, or sorrow? At last, here is a book that provides authoritative answers to these long-standing questions. Most popular science books t to misrepresent animals, presenting them either as furry little humans or as creatures that cannot feel at all. Marc D. Hauser, an acclaimed scientist in the field of animal cognition, uses insights from evolutionary theory and cognitive science to examine animal thought without such biases or preconceptions. Hauser treats animals neither as machines devoid of feeling nor as extensions of humans, but as independent beings driven by their own complex impulses. In prose that is both elegant and edifying, Hauser describes his groundbreaking research in the field, leading his readers on what David Premack, author of The Mind of an Ape, calls "a masterful tour of the animal mind."
Review
"A penetrating, entertaining, and up-to-the-minute book on the minds of animals." (Stephen Pinker, author of The Language Instinct)
Review
"A penetrating, entertaining, and up-to-the-minute book on the minds of animals." (Stephen Pinker, author of The Language Instinct)
"In this important book, Marc Hauser addresses one of the most vexing questions of behavioral science. His detailed personal knowledge of animal behavior and evolutionary biology allows him to strike a truthful balance." (Edward O. Wilson, author of The Diversity of Life)
Review
"A penetrating, entertaining, and up-to-the-minute book on the minds of animals." (Stephen Pinker, author of The Language Instinct)
"In this important book, Marc Hauser addresses one of the most vexing questions of behavioral science. His detailed personal knowledge of animal behavior and evolutionary biology allows him to strike a truthful balance." (Edward O. Wilson, author of The Diversity of Life)
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. [269]-299) and index.
About the Author
Marc D. Hauser is a professor at Harvard University, where as a Fellow of the Mind, Brain, and Behavior Program he performs laboratory research, supplemented by fieldwork around the world. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with his wife and their menagerie of animals.