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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
smiley_c's review against another edition
3.0
Me right now: thank goodness I finally finish reading this.
Ok, I admit when I first started it I was so interested. The intro is indeed promising. How animals communicate with each other, how we can try and talk to them... Even more fascinating real life cases of this interspecies communication! Wow. And things were interesting at first, but then --
I'M NOT EXPECTING SO MUCH PHILOSOPHY!
Gosh the middle chunk was so lengthy and real hard to digest. If you're interested in the ethics and arguments like animal rights, what is exactly language, what is grammar -- then this is the book for you. But for me I felt like being promised a pet for Christmas and getting a cardboard dog finger puppet instead (not that it happened before, mind).
Ok, I admit when I first started it I was so interested. The intro is indeed promising. How animals communicate with each other, how we can try and talk to them... Even more fascinating real life cases of this interspecies communication! Wow. And things were interesting at first, but then --
I'M NOT EXPECTING SO MUCH PHILOSOPHY!
Gosh the middle chunk was so lengthy and real hard to digest. If you're interested in the ethics and arguments like animal rights, what is exactly language, what is grammar -- then this is the book for you. But for me I felt like being promised a pet for Christmas and getting a cardboard dog finger puppet instead (not that it happened before, mind).
mitaluimmekerran's review against another edition
3.0
Ilahduttava, filosofinen ja tärkeä tietokirja eläinten kielestä - ja siitä, miten totaalisesti ihminen osaakaan sulkea silmänsä muiden lajien viestinnältä niin halutessaan.
Eläinten kielten ja kommunikaation tutkimus on vasta alussa, mutta jo nyt on löydetty hyvin vahvoja viitteitä siitä, miten monimuotoista ja kompleksista kieltä eri eläinlajit käyttävät. Se, ettei ihminen ole tätä aiemmin ymmärtänyt, ei johdu siitä, ettei eläinten älykkyys olisi verrannollista ihmislajin älyyn, vaan ennemminkin siitä, että ihminen ei omassa älyttömyydessään ole osannut tulkita muiden eläinten viestintää muusta kuin omasta kontekstistaan.
Filosofiaa ja eläintieteitä mainiosti yhdistelevä teos avaa tuoretta tutkimusta yleistajuisesti, mutta silti kattavan lähdeluettelon avulla. Olemme vasta alussa, mitä tulee lajien väliseen viestintään, mutta onneksi se kaikkein kiinnostavin tieto voi olla vielä edessä päin.
Vahva kolmen tähden kirja, ehdottomasti. Suosittelen lämmöllä muillekin aiheesta kiinnostuneilla. Ja erityisesti niille, jotka edelleen elävät 1900-luvun alun vanhentuneessa käsityksessä, että ihminen olisi älykkyydeltään muka jollain tapaa kovinkin ylivertainen luonto-otus.
Eläinten kielten ja kommunikaation tutkimus on vasta alussa, mutta jo nyt on löydetty hyvin vahvoja viitteitä siitä, miten monimuotoista ja kompleksista kieltä eri eläinlajit käyttävät. Se, ettei ihminen ole tätä aiemmin ymmärtänyt, ei johdu siitä, ettei eläinten älykkyys olisi verrannollista ihmislajin älyyn, vaan ennemminkin siitä, että ihminen ei omassa älyttömyydessään ole osannut tulkita muiden eläinten viestintää muusta kuin omasta kontekstistaan.
Filosofiaa ja eläintieteitä mainiosti yhdistelevä teos avaa tuoretta tutkimusta yleistajuisesti, mutta silti kattavan lähdeluettelon avulla. Olemme vasta alussa, mitä tulee lajien väliseen viestintään, mutta onneksi se kaikkein kiinnostavin tieto voi olla vielä edessä päin.
Vahva kolmen tähden kirja, ehdottomasti. Suosittelen lämmöllä muillekin aiheesta kiinnostuneilla. Ja erityisesti niille, jotka edelleen elävät 1900-luvun alun vanhentuneessa käsityksessä, että ihminen olisi älykkyydeltään muka jollain tapaa kovinkin ylivertainen luonto-otus.
jescoqueerbilly's review against another edition
4.0
I really, really loved all of the stories of animal communication in this book.
I put this book down wanting so much more from it. The stories of animal communication were so moving but very brief. The theoretical question the book raises about the meaning of communication was profound. I wanted to read so much more about how the two (stories and the central question) might be more connected.
I put this book down wanting so much more from it. The stories of animal communication were so moving but very brief. The theoretical question the book raises about the meaning of communication was profound. I wanted to read so much more about how the two (stories and the central question) might be more connected.
diaryofavoid_'s review against another edition
3.0
A good overview for beginning research into the topic or for casual interest, but not super in-depth. Has a tendency to be list-like and dry. Would have liked more explanation and background information on the studies and facts. I think it suffered by trying to include as many animal facts as possible.
kdodds's review against another edition
3.0
I thought this was a nice book. It was filled with interesting and whimsical facts regarding animals and how they communicate which kept me entertained throughout. It did also make me question my own opinions of different animal groups, which I felt was the authors intention.
The book’s fall back however was that it read very much like a dissertation or a collection of research papers. Which I actually didn’t mind until the points started to become a little stretched and more like a personal thesis. Particularly a part towards the end about animals needing a political voice, which even as a Zoology graduate and animal lover, I thought was a bit far.
Still enjoyed though, 3 stars.
The book’s fall back however was that it read very much like a dissertation or a collection of research papers. Which I actually didn’t mind until the points started to become a little stretched and more like a personal thesis. Particularly a part towards the end about animals needing a political voice, which even as a Zoology graduate and animal lover, I thought was a bit far.
Still enjoyed though, 3 stars.
slymberis's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
2.5
Meijer was liberal in her interpretations of the evidence she referenced, and I found that her conclusions about the existence of animal language were not convincing. She did, however, successfully challenge my understanding of animal intelligence and made a strong case for expanding animal rights.
plompverlori's review against another edition
5.0
Lees dit! Alsjeblieft! Leer te leven met niet-menselijke dieren, leer ze te begrijpen, kom van je ivoren toren af!