Beyond Words: How Animals Think and Feel

Beyond Words: How Animals Think and Feel

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Beyond Words: How Animals Think and Feel

Introduction

“Beyond Words: How Animals Think and Feel” is a book by Carl Safina. This book is about the argument that animals do think and feel the same way human beings can do. The book answers many questions that can be related to animals such as the ability of animals to have sympathy and plan ahead (Safina, 2015).The author of this book wrote this information after travelling across the world and visited some national parks such as Amboseli National Park in Kenya and noted that it is important to acknowledge consciousness in animals and break down the barriers that exist between non-human animals and humans. This analysis will, therefore, answer some fundamental questions related to her work.

1.     This is a three-part question: (a) How does Safina explain the origin of dogs?  (b) What does it mean to say that dogs and humans coevolved?  (c) What is “domestication syndrome” and how does it relate to the first two parts of the question?

    The origin of dogs according to Carl Safina is by the provision of protection to human beings. Dogs have the capability to develop a sensibility and differentiate strangers and homeowners to provide security. The statement that humans and dogs coevolved means that dogs are more than man’s best friend and have been partners in human evolution journey. This implies that the brain of a dog has evolved the same way with that of people, and the common environment has driven both human and do evolution(Safina, 2015).This has developed the intimate relationship between humans and dogs such that they have some capabilities like people. This includes the ability to speak and communicates all the time, knowing what to do and having a plan. Domestication syndrome is an exclusive collection of phenotypic traits of a genetic change of an organism from a wild progenitor to domesticated form. This can be associated with the information above when the dogs show more friendly nature to human beings.

2.     What is Safina’s underlying complaint in Part Three regarding scientists who perform laboratory experiments to assess animal cognition and philosophers who write about these experiments?

    Safina’s basic complaint is that many scientist and philosophers who assess animal’s cognition fail to observe that animals are conscious the fact that can be seen even by general observers. It is true that animals have to be to perform the tasks they perform. Animals make choices and use judgment to achieve this. Many scientists end up arguing that animals do not have emotions but while with the public it is quite different(Safina, 2015).Many people have an assumption that animals behave out of consciousness and base their beliefs according to their pets and animals. Also, some people do not want animals to be conscious because it will make it hard to do things to them since they have the capability to identify if they are suffering and unhappy.  It is therefore entirely wrong for philosophers and scientist to continue arguing that animals do not have emotions or are not conscious.

    The public does not have the chance to see wild animals every day and when they get a chance they feel lucky. Researchers, on the other hand, spend many years watching these creatures and observe people(Safina, 2015).They can clearly see that first time mothers are not sure what they should do, but experienced mothers are confident and more relaxed. They can also observe that wolves are aggressive and more assertive. Knowing wild animals should be different from casual sight. The author gives the rhetorical question of what can be interpreted on hearing human beings that are just drinking water and running around. The correct answer can be got from observing them. Researchers should, therefore, have a valid conclusion about these animals.

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