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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
LOVED THIS BOOK! I was a little intimidated at first, worried that it would be too academic, but it's very accessible and easy to read. And fascinating! Besides getting to know Alex, the personality-plus African grey parrot and star of the story, I loved reading about Dr. Pepperberg's musings on how research on animal behavior and language acquisition influences how we see ourselves as humans and our place in the hierarchy of nature.
Dr. Pepperberg's overview of the human attitude of conquering/subduing/using nature reminded me of how we humans have lost touch with our connection to nature, and see it as resource for our use and abuse--and now our oceans are clogged with plastic and our atmosphere is heating up and our bodies are polluted with toxins and pseudo-food.
Dr. Pepperberg's ideas about where this all started stem from thousands of years ago: From the book (page 215): "Aristotle, in the fourth century B.C.E. constructed a view of the natural world that is, in its essence, still with us. He ordered all living and nonliving thins on a ladder of perceived importance based on the mind. Humans were at the top...On lower rungs were the lesser creatures and finally the plants...The Judeo-Christian tradition enthusiastically adopted Aristotle's blueprint, in which humans were given dominion over all living things and the earth. This description of nature came to be known as the Great Chain of Being. Humans were not only different from all other of God's creatures, but also distinctly superior...All other living things were for our exploitation."
I'm sure it's too simple to say this all goes back to Aristotle's ladder of hierarchy, but it did make me wonder--what would happen if we adopted a new view of nature? One that does not center on dominance and abuse, but us understanding how dependent we all are every link in the web, from whales to mites, and placing value on ALL living things?
Another quote from page 222: “The most profound lesson that Alex taught us concerns the place of Homo sapiens in nature. The revolution in animal cognition of which Alex was an important part teaches us that humans are not unique...We are not superior to all other beings in nature. The idea of humans’ separateness from the rest of nature is no longer tenable. Ales taught us that we are a part of nature, not apart from nature. The “separateness” notion was a dangerous illusion that gave us permission to exploit every aspect of the natural world—animal, plant, mineral—without consequences. We are now facing those consequences: poverty, starvation, and climate change, for example.
Dr. Pepperberg's overview of the human attitude of conquering/subduing/using nature reminded me of how we humans have lost touch with our connection to nature, and see it as resource for our use and abuse--and now our oceans are clogged with plastic and our atmosphere is heating up and our bodies are polluted with toxins and pseudo-food.
Dr. Pepperberg's ideas about where this all started stem from thousands of years ago: From the book (page 215): "Aristotle, in the fourth century B.C.E. constructed a view of the natural world that is, in its essence, still with us. He ordered all living and nonliving thins on a ladder of perceived importance based on the mind. Humans were at the top...On lower rungs were the lesser creatures and finally the plants...The Judeo-Christian tradition enthusiastically adopted Aristotle's blueprint, in which humans were given dominion over all living things and the earth. This description of nature came to be known as the Great Chain of Being. Humans were not only different from all other of God's creatures, but also distinctly superior...All other living things were for our exploitation."
I'm sure it's too simple to say this all goes back to Aristotle's ladder of hierarchy, but it did make me wonder--what would happen if we adopted a new view of nature? One that does not center on dominance and abuse, but us understanding how dependent we all are every link in the web, from whales to mites, and placing value on ALL living things?
Another quote from page 222: “The most profound lesson that Alex taught us concerns the place of Homo sapiens in nature. The revolution in animal cognition of which Alex was an important part teaches us that humans are not unique...We are not superior to all other beings in nature. The idea of humans’ separateness from the rest of nature is no longer tenable. Ales taught us that we are a part of nature, not apart from nature. The “separateness” notion was a dangerous illusion that gave us permission to exploit every aspect of the natural world—animal, plant, mineral—without consequences. We are now facing those consequences: poverty, starvation, and climate change, for example.
If you love animals, cognitive psychology, animal behavior, or just science in general, this is a fun book.
In my Comparative Psychology class, I wrote my thesis on the Cognitive Abilities in African Grey's, based primarily on Dr. Pepperberg's Alex Project, so it was nice to read her first-hand account of the decades working with him and the other Greys.
In my Comparative Psychology class, I wrote my thesis on the Cognitive Abilities in African Grey's, based primarily on Dr. Pepperberg's Alex Project, so it was nice to read her first-hand account of the decades working with him and the other Greys.
This book is making its rounds amongst the animal lovers in my office. For that reason, and the categorization on the back cover of "Memoir/Pets," I expected this to be an emotional book about a woman and her pet, with very science planning an auxiliary role. Instead I found it to be a rather watered down account of some really groundbreaking work in cognition (which, I'm really surprised my learning theory-oriented coworkers didn't mention!).
Whether she did in life or not, I don't know, but for the book Pepperberg maintained a professional distance from Alex and her relationship with him. She told adorable anecdotes, but then she explained their scientific importance and let the reader draw their own emotional conclusions. Unfortunately, I felt she often kept things a little too high-level and nonspecific on the scientific explanations. When she said this or that linguistic theory is too complicated to explain, I was frustrated.
Interestingly, this is the second book in a row I've read to which the dot-com boom and fall and the economic freefall after 9/11 were more than tangentially important. I think I'll avoid that in the next couple books.
Whether she did in life or not, I don't know, but for the book Pepperberg maintained a professional distance from Alex and her relationship with him. She told adorable anecdotes, but then she explained their scientific importance and let the reader draw their own emotional conclusions. Unfortunately, I felt she often kept things a little too high-level and nonspecific on the scientific explanations. When she said this or that linguistic theory is too complicated to explain, I was frustrated.
Interestingly, this is the second book in a row I've read to which the dot-com boom and fall and the economic freefall after 9/11 were more than tangentially important. I think I'll avoid that in the next couple books.
I've been fascinated by Alex ever since I saw him on Scientific American Frontiers. Loved reading about him and his relationship with Irene. She sounds like a scientist I'd like to a know. I want to read more about animal intelligence and oneness with nature... and the concept of zero, which Alex had and Europe didn't get til the 1600s...
In Alex & Me, the scientist Irene M. Pepperberg tells the story of how a precocious little African Grey parrot went from science model to companion and friend while shaping a research phenomenon. While many in the companion parrot community recognize Alex’s name, recognize Pepperberg’s name, recognize that he was “smart” and contributed somehow to scientific research on animal communication and learning, Pepperberg brings the Alex Studies into focus in a conversational manner in this book. This isn’t high-science language with all the big Latin terms that make the layperson cringe. This is down-to-earth relating that made me laugh at Alex’s antics and parrot humor, and brought tears to my eyes at the struggles his scientist and friend went through keeping his project funded in a scientific community that didn’t quite believe in her work and didn’t quite believe a woman should be doing it. Add to that a husband who more than once suggested she get a “real” job when grants and funding ran slim and I found myself rooting for these two like this was a movie to which I didn’t already know the tragic end.
But there was success. There was fame. There was recognition from the scientific community. And there was a special, beautiful bond between a smart bird with a fun sense of humor and his human companion. I recommend Alex & Me to anyone in the scientific community, in the animal husbandry/pet industry, and who enjoys a good story about an amazing bird. The two items that will frustrate the reader: Pepperberg doesn’t tell the results of Alex’s necropsy and doesn’t tell whether her research continues with Wart and Griff. Of course these are things you can Google…but why would something so important be left out of Alex’s memoir? Other than that, the reader should enjoy this book immensely.
From Fantasy Author Sandy Lender
But there was success. There was fame. There was recognition from the scientific community. And there was a special, beautiful bond between a smart bird with a fun sense of humor and his human companion. I recommend Alex & Me to anyone in the scientific community, in the animal husbandry/pet industry, and who enjoys a good story about an amazing bird. The two items that will frustrate the reader: Pepperberg doesn’t tell the results of Alex’s necropsy and doesn’t tell whether her research continues with Wart and Griff. Of course these are things you can Google…but why would something so important be left out of Alex’s memoir? Other than that, the reader should enjoy this book immensely.
From Fantasy Author Sandy Lender
I listened to the audiobook which was 5 segments, a fairly short book. I very much enjoyed the biographical bits of Pepperberg's youth, her education experience leading to a PhD in Chemistry, her struggles throughout her research and the descriptions of the variety of places where she did the work, and the descriptions of the training method and information found. The best parts were the little stories about Alex and her which went above and beyond the strict science. I loved this book.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to take an animal to the vet, if that animal could look at you in terror and say "I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry. Want to go home"?
I feel like I keep up on the developments of non-human cognition more than the average joe, but the intellectual and emotional skill of this bird-brain blew me away.
I don't love Pepperberg's writing style, but I love the work she does and the reasons she does it. I disliked the first chapter, full of sappy condolence emails about Alex's death, but the sprightly life of that bird in the remainder of the book made it worth the read for me. At the very least, everyone who cares about challenging the smug, speciesist, human self-satisfaction that facilitates our cruelty toward other kinds of living things should look up some articles about Alex's life immediately. This bird -- and the others Pepperberg is working with -- is a little window into the complexity and richness of non-human cognition.
I feel like I keep up on the developments of non-human cognition more than the average joe, but the intellectual and emotional skill of this bird-brain blew me away.
I don't love Pepperberg's writing style, but I love the work she does and the reasons she does it. I disliked the first chapter, full of sappy condolence emails about Alex's death, but the sprightly life of that bird in the remainder of the book made it worth the read for me. At the very least, everyone who cares about challenging the smug, speciesist, human self-satisfaction that facilitates our cruelty toward other kinds of living things should look up some articles about Alex's life immediately. This bird -- and the others Pepperberg is working with -- is a little window into the complexity and richness of non-human cognition.
My nano has led me to places I had no idea even existed. I heard Irene Pepperberg on The Moth which is a not-for-profit storytelling organization. I just discovered The Moth and I have enjoyed all the stories I have heard.
Pepperberg caught my attention because of the emotional content of her story. After listening, I wanted to know more about Alex and Irene. So off to the library catalog to request the book.
Because I was responding to the emotions of Pepperberg's story on The Moth, this book was not quite what I wanted. It is an excellent factual telling of Alex's life and work. I am not sorry I read the book - I had fun learning lots about parrots. I just wanted to know more about Irene's relationship with Alex and that was not the reason for the book.
I would recommend this to folks who enjoy about reading about the research about speech being done with animals.
Pepperberg caught my attention because of the emotional content of her story. After listening, I wanted to know more about Alex and Irene. So off to the library catalog to request the book.
Because I was responding to the emotions of Pepperberg's story on The Moth, this book was not quite what I wanted. It is an excellent factual telling of Alex's life and work. I am not sorry I read the book - I had fun learning lots about parrots. I just wanted to know more about Irene's relationship with Alex and that was not the reason for the book.
I would recommend this to folks who enjoy about reading about the research about speech being done with animals.