Making a difference
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Making a difference Do Animals Think? by Clive D. L. Wynne Princeton University Press: 2004. 288 pp. $26.95, £17.95 Sara J. Shettleworth Dogs that learn words the way a child does and crows that make tools catch our interest because their behaviour seems so unexpect- edly human-like. Many books on animal mind and behaviour for general readers feed an appetite for seeing animals as being like us, either by detailing the way experi- ments reveal animals’ abilities to count, form concepts and so on, or by describing the behaviour of some particular animals, often primates. Donald Griffin’s Animal Thinking (Harvard University Press, 1984) or Marc Hauser’s Wild Minds (Henry Holt, 2000) come to mind as examples of the first genre, and books by Frans de Waal, such as The Ape and the Sushi Master (Basic Books, 2001), are examples of the second. Do Animals Think? most resembles books of the first genre, but with a difference. In this critical account of selected research, Clive Wynne takes aim at over-sentimental anthropomorphism, particularly on the part of animal-rights advocates. He argues that the degree to which animals are like us cannot be the measure of how much they are worthy of our respect and protection. To take one of Wynne’s examples, it is fine to take pleasure from watching dolphins leap simply because they look so joyful, but it is important to know the facts about dolphin behaviour and to realize that — contrary to what some sources quoted in the book would have you believe — they have neither self-awareness nor a complex language, nor perhaps take joy in leaping. How can a con- cern for animals exist alongside an objective understanding that their minds and behav- iour are in many respects very unlike ours? To capture his theme that animals are like us in some ways but not in others, Wynne adopts the not entirely successful simile of a sandwich with two layers of difference books and arts 148 NATURE | VOL 430 | 8 JULY 2004 | www.nature.com/nature surrounding a layer of similarity. The outer layers are species-specific sensory systems and abilities such as the echolocation of bats, the still mysterious homing of pigeons, and the linguistic abilities of humans. The filling is cross-species similarity in basic instincts and simple learning abilities. The book is structured like a sandwich, too. Chapters on humans’ attitudes to ani- mals and how they can be justified surround a seven-layered ‘filling’ made up of chapters devoted to the animals themselves, with the sensory, communicative and social systems of honeybees, bats, pigeons and dolphins alternating with chapters on contemporary research into animal minds. This juxtaposi- tion of psychological topics, such as tests of reasoning (from Wolfgang Kohler onwards), tool use, imitation, ape language, mirror self- recognition and theory of mind, together with accounts of the behaviour and life histo- ries of bats, dolphins and bees, is an effec- tive device for underlining the ‘otherness’ of animal lives and minds. All this material is presented in a clear, informal and entertaining way, enlivened by historical asides, among which I most enjoyed the speculations on why Kohler was studying chimpanzees on Tenerife in the first place and the passages from an Elizabethan bee-keeping manual. But, at risk of over- straining the comparison, this sandwich contains some substantial chunks of meat that some readers will have trouble swallow- ing.Wynne emphasizes that misconceptions by non-specialists and overly anthropomor- phic interpretations by researchers are rife in areas where animals’ behaviour seems most to resemble human behaviour.Moreover,the degree of resemblance between animal and human behaviour is too easily exaggerated, he says. For instance, population-specific forms of tool use and other learned behav- iours in chimpanzees are rightly seen as a form of culture, but it should not be forgot- ten that even an hour’s observation of any group of humans would reveal vastly more complex culturally transmitted behaviours. Many comparative psychologists who, like Wynne, do experimental research with animals will probably applaud his critical approach to such topics as theory of mind and animal language, and will not find his conclusions controversial. But the final provocative chapter, on why we should care about animals, is unsatisfactory. Wynne rejects first, and in some detail, the idea that animals should have rights. His specific dismissal of the Great Ape Project, which believes that great apes should enjoy the same rights as humans, will raise some hack- les. The absence of sound evidence that even chimpanzees have the cognitive capacity for legal responsibility makes the animal-rights position, in his view, as untenable as that of the sixteenth-century villagers who tried rats for eating their crops. The utilitarian view that the recognition of animals’ capacity for suffering gives us a guide fares little better, primarily because, Wynne argues, a calculus of suffering is ultimately impossible to apply in detail. What we’re left with,after what is hardly a complete survey of contemporary views, is that it is simply self-evident that we should value and protect animals whether or not they are in any way like us. Perhaps others will take up the challenge of developing a coherent account of how concern for ani- mals is consistent with a dispassionate view of their minds and behaviour. ■ Sara J. Shettleworth is in the Departments of Psychology and Zoology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G3, Canada. Jumping for joy? The sight of dolphins leaping out of the water can tempt us to be anthropomorphic. T. DAVIS/CORBIS The Cosmic Blueprint: New Discoveries in Nature’s Creative Ability to Order the Universe by Paul Davies Templeton Foundation Press, $16.95 A return to print for this 1988 classic. Ben Franklin Stilled The Waves by Charles Tanford Oxford University Press, £9.99, $16.95 A charming historical voyage, ending in the discovery of the lipid bilayer surrounding cells. Reissued classics ©2004 Nature Publishing Group
Transcript of Making a difference
Making a differenceDo Animals Think?by Clive D. L. WynnePrinceton University Press: 2004. 288 pp.$26.95, £17.95
Sara J. Shettleworth
Dogs that learn words the way a child doesand crows that make tools catch our interestbecause their behaviour seems so unexpect-edly human-like. Many books on animalmind and behaviour for general readersfeed an appetite for seeing animals as beinglike us, either by detailing the way experi-ments reveal animals’ abilities to count,form concepts and so on, or by describingthe behaviour of some particular animals,often primates. Donald Griffin’s AnimalThinking (Harvard University Press, 1984)or Marc Hauser’s Wild Minds (Henry Holt,2000) come to mind as examples of the firstgenre, and books by Frans de Waal, such asThe Ape and the Sushi Master (Basic Books,2001), are examples of the second.
Do Animals Think? most resembles booksof the first genre, but with a difference. In this critical account of selected research,Clive Wynne takes aim at over-sentimentalanthropomorphism,particularly on the partof animal-rights advocates. He argues thatthe degree to which animals are like us cannot be the measure of how much they are worthy of our respect and protection. Totake one of Wynne’s examples, it is fine totake pleasure from watching dolphins leapsimply because they look so joyful, but it isimportant to know the facts about dolphinbehaviour and to realize that — contrary to what some sources quoted in the bookwould have you believe — they have neitherself-awareness nor a complex language, nor perhaps take joy in leaping. How can a con-cern for animals exist alongside an objectiveunderstanding that their minds and behav-iour are in many respects very unlike ours?
To capture his theme that animals are likeus in some ways but not in others, Wynneadopts the not entirely successful simile ofa sandwich with two layers of difference
books and arts
148 NATURE | VOL 430 | 8 JULY 2004 | www.nature.com/nature
surrounding a layer of similarity. The outerlayers are species-specific sensory systemsand abilities such as the echolocation of bats,the still mysterious homing of pigeons, andthe linguistic abilities of humans. The fillingis cross-species similarity in basic instinctsand simple learning abilities.
The book is structured like a sandwich,too. Chapters on humans’ attitudes to ani-mals and how they can be justified surrounda seven-layered ‘filling’ made up of chaptersdevoted to the animals themselves, with thesensory, communicative and social systemsof honeybees, bats, pigeons and dolphinsalternating with chapters on contemporaryresearch into animal minds. This juxtaposi-tion of psychological topics, such as tests ofreasoning (from Wolfgang Kohler onwards),tool use, imitation,ape language,mirror self-recognition and theory of mind, togetherwith accounts of the behaviour and life histo-ries of bats, dolphins and bees, is an effec-tive device for underlining the ‘otherness’ ofanimal lives and minds.
All this material is presented in a clear,informal and entertaining way, enlivened by historical asides, among which I mostenjoyed the speculations on why Kohler wasstudying chimpanzees on Tenerife in the firstplace and the passages from an Elizabethanbee-keeping manual. But, at risk of over-straining the comparison, this sandwichcontains some substantial chunks of meatthat some readers will have trouble swallow-ing. Wynne emphasizes that misconceptionsby non-specialists and overly anthropomor-phic interpretations by researchers are rife inareas where animals’ behaviour seems mostto resemble human behaviour.Moreover,thedegree of resemblance between animal andhuman behaviour is too easily exaggerated,he says. For instance, population-specific
forms of tool use and other learned behav-iours in chimpanzees are rightly seen as aform of culture, but it should not be forgot-ten that even an hour’s observation of anygroup of humans would reveal vastly morecomplex culturally transmitted behaviours.
Many comparative psychologists who,like Wynne, do experimental research withanimals will probably applaud his criticalapproach to such topics as theory of mindand animal language, and will not find his conclusions controversial. But the finalprovocative chapter, on why we should careabout animals, is unsatisfactory. Wynnerejects first, and in some detail, the idea that animals should have rights. His specificdismissal of the Great Ape Project, whichbelieves that great apes should enjoy thesame rights as humans, will raise some hack-les. The absence of sound evidence that evenchimpanzees have the cognitive capacity forlegal responsibility makes the animal-rightsposition, in his view, as untenable as that ofthe sixteenth-century villagers who tried ratsfor eating their crops. The utilitarian viewthat the recognition of animals’ capacity forsuffering gives us a guide fares little better,primarily because, Wynne argues, a calculusof suffering is ultimately impossible to applyin detail.
What we’re left with,after what is hardly acomplete survey of contemporary views, isthat it is simply self-evident that we shouldvalue and protect animals whether or notthey are in any way like us. Perhaps otherswill take up the challenge of developing acoherent account of how concern for ani-mals is consistent with a dispassionate viewof their minds and behaviour. ■
Sara J. Shettleworth is in the Departments ofPsychology and Zoology, University of Toronto,Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G3, Canada.
Jumping for joy? The sight of dolphins leaping out of the water can tempt us to be anthropomorphic.
T.D
AVIS
/CO
RB
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The Cosmic Blueprint: New Discoveries in Nature’s Creative Ability to Order theUniverse by Paul Davies Templeton Foundation Press, $16.95A return to print for this 1988 classic.
Ben Franklin Stilled The Waves by Charles Tanford Oxford University Press, £9.99, $16.95A charming historical voyage, ending in thediscovery of the lipid bilayer surrounding cells.
Reissued classics
8.7 books 145 MH 1/7/04 5:12 pm Page 148
© 2004 Nature Publishing Group
