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  • Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?

  • By: Frans de Waal
  • Narrated by: Sean Runnette
  • Length: 10 hrs and 35 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (269 ratings)
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Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? cover art

Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?

By: Frans de Waal
Narrated by: Sean Runnette
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Summary

From world-renowned biologist and primatologist Frans de Waal comes this groundbreaking work on animal intelligence destined to become a classic.

What separates your mind from an animal's? Maybe you think it's your ability to design tools, your sense of self, or your grasp of past and future - all traits that have helped us define ourselves as the planet's preeminent species. But in recent decades, these claims have been eroded - or even disproved outright - by a revolution in the study of animal cognition. Take the way octopuses use coconut shells as tools; elephants that classify humans by age, gender, and language; or Ayumu, the young male chimpanzee at Kyoto University whose flash memory puts that of humans to shame.

Based on research involving crows, dolphins, parrots, sheep, wasps, bats, whales, and of course chimpanzees and bonobos, Frans de Waal explores both the scope and the depth of animal intelligence. He offers a firsthand account of how science has stood traditional behaviorism on its head by revealing how smart animals really are - and how we've underestimated their abilities for too long. People often assume a cognitive ladder from lower to higher forms, with our own intelligence at the top. But what if it is more like a bush, with cognition taking different, often incomparable forms? Would you presume yourself dumber than a squirrel because you're less adept at recalling the locations of hundreds of buried acorns? Or would you judge your perception of your surroundings as more sophisticated than that of an echolocating bat?

De Waal reviews the rise and fall of the mechanistic view of animals and opens our minds to the idea that animal minds are far more intricate and complex than we have assumed. De Waal's landmark work will convince you to rethink everything you thought you knew about animal - and human - intelligence.

©2016 Frans de Waal (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

What listeners say about Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?

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A fantastic listen

absolutely loved this book, it's more than science, some of the stories are just wonderful, elaborating and amazing.
every behaviourism geek should take a peak into this wonderful world of ethology.

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very smart intelligent ang ground breaking

this books puts into academical framework what most animal lovers already know: Animals are smart - and manage to surprise us repeatedly.

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An excellent read

A fascinating eye opening read for anyone interested or a biology student like me.

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Superb

An incredibly important book, wonderfully written.
This is the third time I’ve listened to it. The narration is just perfect!

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Easy listening and educational.

Eye opening, educating and delivered in layman’s terms, adding in a hunger to hear more.

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Marvellous

It's just a pleasure to hear eminent scientist Frans de Waal "talk" so eloquently about evolutionary cognition and the work of other animal behaviourists.

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Fascinating

I'm not very good with non-fiction and this book has been in my library for a while. I'm so glad I finally listened to it. I really enjoyed this. It was so fascinating.

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Essential reading

Excellent summary of what we currently understand about this. Full of extraordinary insights and wisdom.

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  • 20-02-23

Very enjoyable indeed

This was a very good listen. Entertaining and scientific in the right amounts. I was disappointed when it ended. Congratulations to all concerned.

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very interesting and enjoyable

fascinating science, very interesting and I learnt a lot, highly recommend to anyone interested in animals and their potential

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