Jonathan Balcombe's new book The Exultant Ark, review here:
Sleepy, full-bellied kittens snuggling up to their mothers, dozing sea otters drifting on their backs with linked paws, frolicking alpine ibex - Balcombe revels in images that convey intimacy, comfort and even love, terms usually reserved for humans. A key point for Balcombe, though, is that we must go beyond anthropomorphism to get to the root of what non-human animals feel.
Balcombe laments the fact that scientific understanding of animal pleasure remains in its infancy, but cobbles together anecdotes and preliminary research to raise questions about animals' experience. For instance, in highlighting the relationship between hippos and the fish that scrounge between their toes and teeth, he explores its potential interpretation as a mutually enjoyable experience.
Also up for discussion is where we draw the line between sentient and insentient beings. In this case, he points to research suggesting that prawns exhibit signs of discomfort after their antennae are exposed to acid, which challenges the idea that invertebrates do not experience pain.
Indeed, though The Exultant Ark is primarily a celebration of pleasure in the animal kingdom, Balcombe does not shy away from the implications of sizing up such feelings. In a pointed conclusion to the book he says that, despite the tremendous power humans wield over other animals, throughout the history of our species "we have excluded them from our circle of moral concern".
What determines whether we grant fellow creatures respect and compassion is their ability to feel, and as our understanding of this capacity evolves so too should our relationship with animals, Balcombe stresses. "Wherever we may decide to draw our imaginary lines," he writes, "we should draw them in pencil."
Sleepy, full-bellied kittens snuggling up to their mothers, dozing sea otters drifting on their backs with linked paws, frolicking alpine ibex - Balcombe revels in images that convey intimacy, comfort and even love, terms usually reserved for humans. A key point for Balcombe, though, is that we must go beyond anthropomorphism to get to the root of what non-human animals feel.
Balcombe laments the fact that scientific understanding of animal pleasure remains in its infancy, but cobbles together anecdotes and preliminary research to raise questions about animals' experience. For instance, in highlighting the relationship between hippos and the fish that scrounge between their toes and teeth, he explores its potential interpretation as a mutually enjoyable experience.
Also up for discussion is where we draw the line between sentient and insentient beings. In this case, he points to research suggesting that prawns exhibit signs of discomfort after their antennae are exposed to acid, which challenges the idea that invertebrates do not experience pain.
Indeed, though The Exultant Ark is primarily a celebration of pleasure in the animal kingdom, Balcombe does not shy away from the implications of sizing up such feelings. In a pointed conclusion to the book he says that, despite the tremendous power humans wield over other animals, throughout the history of our species "we have excluded them from our circle of moral concern".
What determines whether we grant fellow creatures respect and compassion is their ability to feel, and as our understanding of this capacity evolves so too should our relationship with animals, Balcombe stresses. "Wherever we may decide to draw our imaginary lines," he writes, "we should draw them in pencil."
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