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Wild Justice: The Moral Lives of Animals
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 injure
...moreHardcover, 204 pages
Published
May 30th 2009
by University of Chicago Press
(first published January 1st 2009)
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Thomas Bundy
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This book was worthless. Reading a biologist's take on morality and justice is as frustrating and mind-numbing as reading some religious people's takes on biology, evolution, etc. He calls the book "Wild Justice", then proceeds to explain that evidence of anything that could be called "justice" is almost entirely lacking in the scientific literature. The whole book revolves around the notion that empathy that animals occasionally display toward one another is evidence of mora...more
I was a bit disappointed with the lack of science in this book, however, the authors make no claim that it is intended to be a scientific study of morality in non-human animals. Rather, the authors, a biologist and a philosopher, intend to raise the idea of morality in non-humans for consideration in the philosophical and scientific (as well as lay) communities. Their premise is essentially (I am oversimplifying) that certain behaviors in non-humans that are called "pro-social," are...more
It's likely my fault for expecting this book to rely more heavily on hard science and studies, but I found the book and the conclusions that it drew to be terribly obvious. Studies are sited and mentioned, but not discussed in detail, which I really would have enjoyed. The book was written at such a basic level that it was a real chore to finish it.
In the end, the authors posit that animals do indeed have morality. After that, though, they hesitate to go any further. My reaction ...more
In the end, the authors posit that animals do indeed have morality. After that, though, they hesitate to go any further. My reaction ...more
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It's hard to deny the evidence, both experimental and anecdotal, for the possession of such supposedly human attributes as justice, moral behavior, and conscience in a wide variety of animals. Bekoff presents a decent overview here, though his style is unnecessarily ponderous for a book aimed primarily at a popular audience. His interdisciplinary approach brings together the work of ethologists, behavioral neuroscientists, and moral philosophers.
This book challenges the assumption that morality is somehow unique to human beings. This challenge is issued through both philosophical critiques of speciesist understandings of morals, as well as by direct ethological evidence of justice in natural contexts.
Interesting insights, although the language sometimes turns dry and the authors often repeat their examples, using the same anecdote with little modification. Thin on content, this reads more as a manifesto than a recap of current research.
I read pretty much everything Bekoff publishes, and here, Bekoff & Pierce make a convincing case for complex cognitive and emotional responses of animals in the arena of empathy, morality, and justice.
I really interesting premise; I personally found it very dry and couldn't get through it.
Kevin Saldanha
is currently reading it
Just started reading this paradigm shifting book.
5 star premise, 3 star delivery.
Interesting.
Really interesting concept, but a little dry and somewhat repetitive in the presentation. I think the same material condensed into a long-form article would have been more engaging. Some of the studies discussed are really interesting, and I enjoyed the last chapter which focused more on the philosophical arguments and implications of morality in animals. In the end I at least agreed with the authors' thesis that morality in animals differs primarily in degree and not in kind from human morality...more
A perspective I agree with, but don't see expressed enough in the literature. Happy to read this open-minded take on animal morality. Anecdotal examples (elephants, wolves, chimpanzees) were excellent.
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