Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat
Why It's So Hard to Think Straight About Animals
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3.6 • 33 Ratings
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- $13.99
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
“Everybody who is interested in the ethics of our relationship between humans and animals should read this book.”
—Temple Grandin, author of Animals Make Us Human
Hal Herzog, a maverick scientist and leader in the field of anthrozoology offers a controversial, thought-provoking, and unprecedented exploration of the psychology behind the inconsistent and often paradoxical ways we think, feel, and behave towards animals. A cross between Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma and Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods, Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat, in the words of Irene M. Pepperberg, bestselling author of Alex & Me, “deftly blends anecdote with scientific research to show how almost any moral or ethical position regarding our relationship with animals can lead to absurd consequences.”
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
How rational are we in our relationship with animals? A puppy, after all, is "a family member in Kansas, a pariah in Kenya, and lunch in Korea". An animal behaviorist turned one of the world's foremost authorities on human-animal relations, Herzog shows us, in this readable study, how whimsical our attitudes can be. Why do we like some animals but not others? One answer seems to be that babylike features like big eyes bring out our parental and protective urges. (PETA has started a campaign against fishing called "Save the Sea Kittens)." Research has shown that the human brain is wired to think about animals and inanimate objects differently, and Herzog reveals how we can look at the exact same animal very differently given its context most Americans regard cockfighting as cruel but think nothing of eating chicken, when in reality gamecocks are treated very well when they are not fighting, and most poultry headed for the table lead short, miserable lives and are killed quite painfully. An intelligent and amusing book that invites us to think deeply about how we define and where we limit our empathy for animals.
Customer Reviews
Pretty interesting read
Had to head this book for a college English class I’m taking, and it’s actually a pretty good read. I found myself enjoying the author’s perspective on the subject of human animal relations and even drew some parallels in his examples to people I know. Glad it was required otherwise I probably would have missed a good book!