Buddy Read for Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are

[Booknblues]

So we have started to read Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?.

I thought that Chapter 1 was sort of a set up chapter explaining the field of ethology and I'm feeling anxious to get to some real meat.

[Jen]

Booknblues wrote: "So we have started to read Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?.

I thought that Chapter 1 was sort of a set up chapter explaining the field of ethology and I'm feelin..."

True but I still like all the German words.....perhaps I should have done languages.

[Jen]

Chapter 2 thoughts.
I really hope there is something new soon. Almost all of this is debated by my y12 students in our "learning unit". Skinner and behaviourism, contiguity and biological preparedness (Garcia effect) are all just standard psych content which the kids are expected to evaluate. Perhaps if they had a Psychology teacher who didn't also teach Biology there wouldn't be as much debate but debate should be encouraged or how will we ever understand more?
I really hope I learn something in the next chapter if not it might just be a book that is suitable for the y12s esp those who do both Bio and Psych.

[Booknblues]

Jen wrote: "Chapter 2 thoughts.
I really hope there is something new soon. Almost all of this is debated by my y12 students in our "learning unit". Skinner and behaviourism, contiguity and biological preparedn..."

I was hoping more animal focused, instead of theory focused. I am still hoping that this is a set up for what is to come. My background is education, so I am of course familiar with behaviorist, Skinner, et al.

I liked the grapefruit story but would have liked a little more detail with all of that.

[Jen]

Booknblues wrote: "Jen wrote: "Chapter 2 thoughts.
I really hope there is something new soon. Almost all of this is debated by my y12 students in our "learning unit". Skinner and behaviourism, contiguity and biologic..."

Yeah more stories to use to supplement the examples I already know would be useful.

[Jen]

Jen wrote: "Booknblues wrote: "Jen wrote: "Chapter 2 thoughts.
I really hope there is something new soon. Almost all of this is debated by my y12 students in our "learning unit". Skinner and behaviourism, cont..."

Chapter 3 is more animal focused!

[Booknblues]

I'm not quite finished with chapter 3, but want to push through this weekend.

I got sidetracked in another book.

[Jen]

Booknblues wrote: "I'm not quite finished with chapter 3, but want to push through this weekend.

I got sidetracked in another book."

I got sidetracked too after being disappointed with chapter 1 and 2.

[Booknblues]

Finished chapter 3 and started 4 . I read Pepperberg's book about Alex, so I was familiar with that. It is interesting that in chapter 3 de Waal seems to be arguing a bit against what his title implies.

I'm interested in what else the book says, but it seems somewhat textbookey and I wasn't expecting that. I'm looking forward to seeing what he has to say about animal emotion, because his facebook page always seems to say that animals have a fuller emotional life than scientist give them credit for.

[Jen]

Booknblues wrote: "Finished chapter 3 and started 4 . I read Pepperberg's book about Alex, so I was familiar with that. It is interesting that in chapter 3 de Waal seems to be arguing a bit against what his title imp..."

He really seems to hate pigeons and the scientists who work with them...….
I'd agree on textbookey. It is good to read if you can't get to sleep, I've dozed off several times.

[Booknblues]

I've finished. Not bad overall, but continues to be textbookey, which I suppose is not surprising as he is a professor and researcher.

I'd hoped for the passion which the title suggests.

[Jen]

I still have a bit to go (hopefully tonight when work is done) but I'd agree that not bad is a good summary. Nothing wrong with it just not that exciting and not really what I was expecting.

[Booknblues]

Jen wrote: "I still have a bit to go (hopefully tonight when work is done) but I'd agree that not bad is a good summary. Nothing wrong with it just not that exciting and not really what I was expecting."
For myself, I would have enjoyed more varied anecdotes, but realize that he is a primatologist so I should have expected many chimp stories.

I also would have preferred more about animals in the wild.

He is very into animal emotions, but he didn't really include much about them in this book. I wouldn't have minded more of that, but I suppose it is off topic and he did write another book about that.

[Jen]

Sorry for being a pants buddy read partner. Life kinda got in the way and focusing on textbookey was tricky.
I did like some of the examples given and a few were new to me so that's something.
It certainly wasn't a bad read just not the right one for right now.

[Booknblues]

Jen wrote: "Sorry for being a pants buddy read partner. Life kinda got in the way and focusing on textbookey was tricky.
I did like some of the examples given and a few were new to me so that's something.
It c..."

Focusing on textbookey is indeed tricky. They are just hard to read quickly no matter how familiar you are with the material. They are always a bit of a slog.

I see his facebook posts and am always intrigued by them, but from his background, it is clear why he writes like he does. I am sure that another author could have made that material far more entertaining with the same premise.

[Jen]

I suspect you may be right. It wasn't exactly heavy going just not really entertaining at all and if animals are doing interesting things it is usually entertaining!