Second Nature: The Inner Lives of Animals(Macmillan Science)

About the Book

For centuries we believed that humans were the only ones that mattered. The idea that animals had feelings was either dismissed or considered heresy. Today, that's all changing. New scientific studies of animal behavior reveal perceptions, intelligences, awareness and social skills that would have been deemed fantasy a generation ago. The implications make our troubled relationship to animals one of the most pressing moral issues of our time.

Jonathan Balcombe, animal behaviorist and author of the critically acclaimed Pleasurable Kingdom, draws on the latest research, observational studies and personal anecdotes to reveal the full gamut of animal experience--from emotions, to problem solving, to moral judgment. Balcombe challenges the widely held idea that nature is red in tooth and claw, highlighting animal traits we have disregarded until now: their nuanced understanding of social dynamics, their consideration for others, and their strong tendency to avoid violent conflict. Did you know that dogs recognize unfairness and that rats practice random acts of kindness? Did you know that chimpanzees can trounce humans in short-term memory games? Or that fishes distinguish good guys from cheaters, and that birds are susceptible to mood swings such as depression and optimism?

With vivid stories and entertaining anecdotes, Balcombe gives the human pedestal a strong shake while opening the door into the inner lives of the animals themselves.

Table of Contents:
PART I: EXPERIENCE Introduction Tuning In (Animal Sensitivity) With Feeling (Emotions) Knowing it (Awareness) PART II: COEXISTENCE Conveying it (Communication) Getting Along (Sociability) Doing Good (Virtue) PART III: EMERGENCE Rethinking Wild Existence Homo Fallible The New Humanity

About the Author :
JONATHON BALCOMBE is Animal Behavior Research Consultant for the Washington DC-based Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and the author of Pleasurable Kingdom. He lives in Washington, D.C.

Review :
'...fascinating, well-written, consistently thought-provoking, and deserves a wide readership.' - The Guardian 'Jonathan Balcombe has brought together...evidence that animals have far more in common with us humans than we might like to suppose. As well as cunning and intelligence, they can also show kindness and sensitivity.' - The Evening Standard '...captivating and disquieting...' - Human Givens '...J.M. Coetzee...praises Balcombe as "a scientist who has escaped the narrow orthodoxies of institutional science". This is true." - TLS Praise for Pleasurable Kingdom: 'Brisk, erudite and enormously entertaining - an excellent, approachable introduction to the basic issues in animal behaviour.' - Publishers Weekly 'Entertaining examples of animal bliss - from drunken parrots to the caresses of fiddler crabs - bring a pleasure all their own.' - Psychology Today 'This well-reasoned, engaging book argues that critters share our capacities for humor, empathy and aesthetic pleasure.' - People Magazine 'This entertaining and thought-provoking book is recommended for popular science collections.' - Library Journal 'Fascinating and often moving, this book emphasizes that animals - like us - truly have personalities, minds and emotions.' - Jane Goodall, Founder, the Jane Goodall Institute & UN Messenger of Peace 'Superb - has set an agenda for future research. This book will change how we interact with other animal beings.' - Marc Bekoff in Trends in Ecology& Evolution 'A well-argued thesis.' - Scientific American '... lively, shrewd, well-argued ... an admirable contribution.' - Mary Midgley, in Times Higher Education Supplement