Wild Justice: The Moral Lives of Animals

Scientists have long counseled against interpreting animal\nbehavior in terms of human emotions, warning that such\nanthropomorphizing limits our ability to understand animals as they\nreally are. Yet what are we to make of a female gorilla in a German\nzoo who spent days mourning the death of her baby? Or a wild female\nelephant who cared for a younger one after she was injured by a\nrambunctious teenage male? Or a rat who refused to push a lever for\nfood when he saw that doing so caused another rat to be shocked?\nAren’t these clear signs that animals have recognizable emotions\nand moral intelligence? With Wild Justice Marc Bekoff and Jessica\nPierce unequivocally answer yes.

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Marrying years of behavioral and cognitive research with\ncompelling and moving anecdotes, Bekoff and Pierce reveal that\nanimals exhibit a broad repertoire of moral behaviors, including\nfairness, empathy, trust, and reciprocity. Underlying these\nbehaviors is a complex and nuanced range of emotions, backed by a\nhigh degree of intelligence and surprising behavioral flexibility.\nAnimals, in short, are incredibly adept social beings, relying on\nrules of conduct to navigate intricate social networks that are\nessential to their survival. Ultimately, Bekoff and Pierce draw the\nastonishing conclusion that there is no moral gap between humans\nand other species: morality is an evolved trait that we\nunquestionably share with other social mammals.

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Sure to be controversial, Wild Justice offers not just\ncutting-edge science, but a provocative call to rethink our\nrelationship with—and our responsibilities toward—our fellow\nanimals.

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