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darkenergy's review
4.0
This book comes alive in examples and experimental or field studies of animal cognition, most of which come from the author's first or second hand experience with a smorgasbord of species. The problem is that a lot of it also addresses the remaining skeptics of animal cognition - and given that he acknowledges those holdouts are more in the humanities or historical practitioners (behavorists in particular), it would've been nice to cut that back somewhat because it made for dry interludes between these interesting, ingenious setups that test animal cognition in relevant settings. Just as we wouldn't call someone stupid for their inability to name 1,000 species, we have to test other species in the context of knowledge they'd actually use.
makropp's review against another edition
3.0
I got this book through a Goodreads giveaway a while ago. I shelved it and promptly forgot about it. I was looking through my unread books recently and saw this, and pulled it out to read.
Franz de Waal is a Dutch primatologist and animal ethologist who studies animal cognition. In this book, he outlines the progression of thinking about animal intelligence, from theories that held animals as inferior to humans, to those that said some animals may be on our level of intelligence or even higher, to a more modern view that intelligence and cognition are not linear values that can be evaluated by comparison with humans.
The book is interesting, and the different theories that have, and are, held about how "smart" animals might be are discussed and explained with examples of the types of tests and evaluation methods used by the proponents of each. It's a science-y science book. By that I mean while it is not a straight on textbook, it also isn't a chatty, easy-to-grasp read, either. It can be a bit dry, and the examples of the different species tests are recorded in a straightforward manner. Some of the terms and ideas offered are perhaps not difficult to understand, but do take a bit of digestion to fully comprehend.
de Waal does feel that in that past, particularly, scientists have tried primarily to prove that we humans are the most intelligent species that lives on the planet, and many of the tests designed to evaluate other species were too human-centric. The tool use tests on monkeys, for example, didn't take into account that some monkeys hands are not designed to use a particular tool and when they didn't solve a puzzle involving that tool, it was assumed they were not smart enough. de Waal and his colleagues, on the other hand, believe that evaluating species other than humans must be done from that species point of view, no matter how different it may be from what we would consider correct.
The book relates numerous examples of the abilities of other species, not only the apes and monkeys normally associated with animal intelligence. We see birds, other mammal, sea creatures, and more show their ability to solve problems, use and even in some cases, make tools, and relate to their own and other species on emotional and physical levels.
If you are looking for a book of stories of animals doing cute and clever things, this may not be for you. If you are interested in learning more about current thinking on animal cognition and don't mind putting in a little effort in your study, this is a good place to start.
Franz de Waal is a Dutch primatologist and animal ethologist who studies animal cognition. In this book, he outlines the progression of thinking about animal intelligence, from theories that held animals as inferior to humans, to those that said some animals may be on our level of intelligence or even higher, to a more modern view that intelligence and cognition are not linear values that can be evaluated by comparison with humans.
The book is interesting, and the different theories that have, and are, held about how "smart" animals might be are discussed and explained with examples of the types of tests and evaluation methods used by the proponents of each. It's a science-y science book. By that I mean while it is not a straight on textbook, it also isn't a chatty, easy-to-grasp read, either. It can be a bit dry, and the examples of the different species tests are recorded in a straightforward manner. Some of the terms and ideas offered are perhaps not difficult to understand, but do take a bit of digestion to fully comprehend.
de Waal does feel that in that past, particularly, scientists have tried primarily to prove that we humans are the most intelligent species that lives on the planet, and many of the tests designed to evaluate other species were too human-centric. The tool use tests on monkeys, for example, didn't take into account that some monkeys hands are not designed to use a particular tool and when they didn't solve a puzzle involving that tool, it was assumed they were not smart enough. de Waal and his colleagues, on the other hand, believe that evaluating species other than humans must be done from that species point of view, no matter how different it may be from what we would consider correct.
The book relates numerous examples of the abilities of other species, not only the apes and monkeys normally associated with animal intelligence. We see birds, other mammal, sea creatures, and more show their ability to solve problems, use and even in some cases, make tools, and relate to their own and other species on emotional and physical levels.
If you are looking for a book of stories of animals doing cute and clever things, this may not be for you. If you are interested in learning more about current thinking on animal cognition and don't mind putting in a little effort in your study, this is a good place to start.
kittyg's review
3.0
I listened to the audiobook for this one and whilst it’s a bit of a dry read at times and I didn’t love the narrator, I did think some of the studies which we look into within the book were very interesting. This is quite a science-y book with a lot of references to fieldwork, experiments and how humans misjudge animals when they set up experiments with human bias at the centre. There’s a lot to consider as a reader, but I didn’t think it was a particularly engaging read as it flits around topics fairly fast and doesn’t tend to dive too deeply or allow you as a reader to connect with the animals in the tests, instead it’s more factual and lays out all the different sets of experiments and their results. An interesting read for sure, but probably not a book I’d return to. I think I prefer a little more that I can relate to of dive deep into. 3*s
linn1378's review
4.0
It seems highly unfair to ask if a squirrel can count to ten if counting is not really what a squirrel's life is about.
Instead of making humanity the measure of all things, we need to evaluate other species by what they are.
If a lion could talk, we could not understand him.
Frans de Waal's TED Talk: Moral behavior in animals
Instead of making humanity the measure of all things, we need to evaluate other species by what they are.
If a lion could talk, we could not understand him.
Frans de Waal's TED Talk: Moral behavior in animals
chaoticspacegirl's review against another edition
2.0
Forced myself to finish
I gravitated towards the book because I thought it would be an intriguing read. I felt it redundant and definitely written towards those in the field. In short - no we are probably not smart enough to know how smart animals are.
I gravitated towards the book because I thought it would be an intriguing read. I felt it redundant and definitely written towards those in the field. In short - no we are probably not smart enough to know how smart animals are.
katiecski's review
2.0
Interesting, though it could have been more concise. It was pretty repetitive and mostly about apes. Still recommend though!
bookwoods's review
2.0
The topic of animal intelligence is fascinating, but unfortunately I couldn't help but feel bored by Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?. The writing didn’t keep me hooked and there didn’t seem to be a clear overarching story line. Instead this felt like an endless list of examples proving how different animal species can be smart and social – and that’s a revelation I’ve already had ages ago. As an introductory book to the topic this could work, but I was looking for something deeper. I also would have preferred more of an even balance between different animal groups, even though the focus on primates is understandable considering de Waals’ expertise.
ollieo's review
4.0
I've always been a big believer that there's more to animals than we give them credit for and this book just intensified that belief. A really fascinating read!
It is pretty heavy on the information and it took me a while to get through as I was also taking notes...
It is pretty heavy on the information and it took me a while to get through as I was also taking notes...
tori_storydelver's review
5.0
I loved reading this! Frans de Waal is trying to make a point. We should be testing animals capabilities by designing these tests in ways that make sense for that specific animal. For example, one species of monkey would not use a tool other species could use. Finally they realized the monkey couldn't possibly use the tool because their hands are shaped differently. When they designed the tool to fit the physical needs of the monkey they used the tool as all the other species had. That is just one of many examples de Waal gives on how we've unfairly tested animal cognition. It was like a tour through the history of tests and observations of animals cognitive abilities, and how they have been debunked over time using methods like I mentioned. A very fascinating read!