Minds Of Their Own: Thinking And Awareness In Animals

Do Animals have ideas? Do they experience pain like humans? Do they think about objects that they cannot see? About situations that have occurred in the past? Do they consciously make plans for the future or do they simply react unthinkingly to objects as they appear and situations as they arise? All of these questions have bearing on whether or not animals have consciousness. The advent of computers that ?think? has lead us to consider ?intelligence? in a way we never thought possible a decade ago. But when and how does information processing in the brain become automatic?In Minds of Their Own, Lesley J. Rogers examines the issue of animal thought both sympathetically and critically by looking at the different behavior characteristics of a variety of animals, the evolution of the brain and when consciousness might have evolved. To most people, to be conscious means to be aware of oneself as well as to be aware of others. But does this hold true for animals? The answer may have implications which transcend mere scientific inquiry: if animals are cognizant creatures, what, if any, moral responsibility do humans have to assure their rights? This timely book examines this issue and others by emphasizing comparisons between humans and animals: how we evolved; how we remember; how we learn.

Politics & Social Sciences

Rogers, Lesley J.

Philosophy

Routledge

Divided Brains: The Biology and Behaviour of Brain Asymmetries

Asymmetry of the brain and behavior (lateralization) has traditionally been considered unique to humans. However, research has shown that this phenomenon is widespread throughout the vertebrate kingdom and found even in some invertebrate species. A similar basic plan of organization exists across vertebrates. Summarizing the evidence and highlighting research from the last twenty years, the authors discuss lateralization from four perspectives - function, evolution, development and causation - covering a wide range of animals, including humans. The evolution of lateralization is traced from our earliest ancestors, through fish and reptiles to birds and mammals. The benefits of having a divided brain are discussed, as well as the influence of experience on its development. A final chapter discusses outstanding problems and areas for further investigation. Experts in this field, the authors present the latest scientific knowledge clearly and engagingly, making this a valuable tool for anyone interested in the biology and behavior of brain asymmetries.

Science & Math

Vallortigara, Giorgio

Andrew, Richard J.

Biological Sciences

Cambridge University Press

Songs, Roars, and Rituals: Communication in Birds, Mammals, and Other Animals

From the calling macaw and the roaring lion to the dancing lyrebird, animals all around us can be heard and seen communicating with each other and, occasionally, with us. Why they do so, what their utterances mean, and how much we know about them are the subject of Songs, Roars, and Rituals. This is a concise, yet comprehensive, introduction to the complexities of communication in animals.
 Rogers and Kaplan take us on an exciting journey through communication in the animal world, offering insights on how animals communicate by sight, sound, smell, touch, and even electrical signaling. They explore a wide variety of communication patterns in many species of mammals and birds and discuss in detail how communication signals evolved, how they are learned, and what song and mimicry may mean.
 An up-to-date account of the science of animal communication, this book also considers modern concepts (such as that of deceptive communication) and modern controversies, primarily those surrounding the evolution of human language and the use of symbolic language by apes. It concludes with a thought-provoking look at the future of communication between humans and animals.

Kaplan, Gisela

Harvard University Press

In this eye-opening book, two experts on animal communication paint a compassionate picture of the species of great apes that behaves most like us. Blending the work of other scientists with their own extensive research in orangutan behavior, Kaplan and Rogers give rare insight into the lives, and the plight, of these peaceful, intelligent creatures. They provide an amazing account of orangutan behaviors, from their remarkable mothering skills to their ways of communication. Interspersed throughout are charming tales of some of the orangutans the authors have met and befriended. The authors also discuss the uncertain fate of these gentle forest dwellers, whose jungle habitat is visibly dwindling day by day. Illustrated throughout, The Orangutans is the first book to focus entirely on these remarkable primates and their relationship to humans in the evolutionary tree.

The Orangutans: Their Evolution, Behavior, and Future

KAPLAN, ROBERT D.

Rogers, Lesley

Basic Books

Sexing the Brain (Maps of the Mind)

Self-Help

Phoenix (an Imprint of The Orion Publishing Group Ltd )

Do Animals have ideas? Do they experience pain like humans? Do they think about objects that they cannot see? About situations that have occurred in the past? Do they consciously make plans for the future or do they simply react unthinkingly to objects as they appear and situations as they arise? All of these questions have bearing on whether or not animals have consciousness. The advent of computers that ”think” has lead us to consider intelligence” in a way we never thought possible a decade ago. But when and how does information processing in the brain become automatic?In Minds of Their Own, Lesley J. Rogers examines the issue of animal thought both sympathetically and critically by looking at the different behavior characteristics of a variety of animals, the evolution of the brain and when consciousness might have evolved. To most people, to be conscious means to be aware of oneself as well as to be aware of others. But does this hold true for animals? The answer may have implications which transcend mere scientific inquiry: if animals are cognizant creatures, what, if any, moral responsibility do humans have to assure their rights? This timely book examines this issue and others by emphasizing comparisons between humans and animals: how we evolved; how we remember; how we learn.

Asymmetry of the brain and behavior (lateralization) has traditionally been considered unique to humans. However, research has shown that this phenomenon is widespread throughout the vertebrate kingdom and found even in some invertebrate species. A similar basic plan of organization exists across vertebrates. Summarizing the evidence and highlighting research from the last twenty years, the authors discuss lateralization from four perspectives - function, evolution, development and causation - covering a wide range of animals, including humans. The evolution of lateralization is traced from our earliest ancestors, through fish and reptiles to birds and mammals. The benefits of having a divided brain are discussed, as well as the influence of experience on its development. A final chapter discusses outstanding problems and areas for further investigation. Experts in this field, the authors present the latest scientific knowledge clearly and engagingly, making this a valuable tool for anyone interested in the biology and behavior of brain asymmetries.

"A wonderful antidote to the gene hysteria that is now so dominant! . . . What is most exciting about this book is the authors' ability to move seamlessly from research on how the brain works, to sociology, history, and philosophy. And that, I believe, is exactly how we need to understand gender--neither nature nor nurture, but a complex interplay." - Dr. Lynda Birke, author of Feminism and the Biological Body This work moves beyond the old nature/nurture debate concerning what makes us who we are to present a new understanding of gender and sexuality. Since the mapping of the human genome there has been widespread coverage of scientific discoveries in the offing, and of the host of human problems to be solved through gene therapy, from physical defects to mental disease and even so-called 'undesirable' behavior. As biologists with expertise in neuroscience, ethology, psychology, sociology and human ethos, Kaplan and Rogers are uniquely situated to evaluate the claims of their colleagues concerning the knowledge to be gained through the study of our biological make-up. They caution against the seductive belief that, once we understand our biological constitution, it is but a short step to complete mastery of human nature. Furthermore, they show that this belief is yet another example of how science can be subverted to defend the claims of the ruling ideology.

Gene Worship: Moving Beyond the Nature/ Nurture Debate Over Genes, Brain and Gender

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Psychology & Counseling

Other Press

Why do pigeons bob their heads when they walk? Can talking parrots understand what they say? What do birds learn and remember? Birds is an unusual collection of curious facts about our feathered friends. It describes the fascinating behaviours and physiology of birds of all shapes and sizes - from the birds in our cities to the wild birds in rainforests and at sea shores, in deserts and plains. You'll learn how birds evolved and why some came to be flightless. You'll read of the wide diversity in bird courtship rituals and territorial displays. You'll discover the art of nest building and why some birds have such well-developed senses and memory. In short, Birds explains why these creatures do the things that they do, so you can more fully enjoy and understand the birds you see every day. Gisela Kaplan and Lesley Rogers, two leading researchers in animal behaviour, cover the latest findings in bird behaviour and tell stories of their personal encounters with birds throughout the world, collected in more than twenty years of research. Supplemented with arresting photographs, this is a marvellous companion for the curious birdwatcher, the serious student of biology and for any nature or bird lover.

Birds: Their Habitats and Skills

Allen& Unwin

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Rogers, Lesley J.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Rogers, Lesley J.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Rogers, Lesley J.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Minds Of Their Own: Thinking And Awareness In Animals

Divided Brains: The Biology and Behaviour of Brain Asymmetries

Songs, Roars, and Rituals: Communication in Birds, Mammals, and Other Animals

Songs, Roars, and Rituals: Communication in Birds, Mammals, and Other Animals

The Orangutans: Their Evolution, Behavior, and Future

Sexing the Brain (Maps of the Mind)

Minds Of Their Own: Thinking And Awareness In Animals

Divided Brains: The Biology and Behaviour of Brain Asymmetries

Gene Worship: Moving Beyond the Nature/ Nurture Debate Over Genes, Brain and Gender

Birds: Their Habitats and Skills