Are We Smart Enough to Understand How Intelligent Animals Are?

“Why are people so eager to belittle animal intelligence? We constantly reject the skills we accept without question when it comes to ourselves, when it comes to animals. What's behind this? When trying to find out at what mental level other species operate, the real challenge comes not just from animals but also from ourselves. What we must overcome before asking whether animals have a certain kind of intelligence, especially the kind of intelligence we value in ourselves, is our inner resistance to even considering this possibility.”

Research conducted in recent years on the cognition of animals causes us to reconsider our tendency to place the human mind in a very separate, "special" place from the animal mind. These studies, which show that octopuses use tools, that crows and ravens can wait for minutes before eating the food in front of them when they know that better food will come, and that chimpanzees can impress humans with their extraordinary memories, indicate that animals are much more intelligent, creative and perceptive than we think.

Dutch primatologist Frans de Waal, who played an important role in changing the anthropocentric approach to animal studies, explores the true dimensions of animal intelligence by using the latest research on crows, dolphins, parrots, sheep, wasps, bats, whales and, of course, primates. Rejecting a cognitive hierarchy in which humans are at the top, de Waal instead proposes a more objective model in which each animal, including humans, is evaluated and appreciated for its unique intelligence, abilities and talents.

(From the Promotional Bulletin)

Dough Type: 2nd Dough

Size: 13 x 19.5

First Print Year: 2017

Number of Printings: 1st Edition

Number of Pages: 344