When Elephants Weep by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson

I loved all of the examples the author provided. However, I really appreciated when he cited Jane Goodall– I think we can all agree, that is an expert on the subject. The author does not appreciate when professionals are adamant about not being able to get real scientific evidence without using anthropomorphism. I will say to him, “Hey now, I will have none of that sass.” There is a difference though between actual emotions and attributing human characteristics. Sometimes when he wants extra dinner, he will pick up his bowl in his mouth and toss it at the wall. I do it all the time with my dog, Xerxes. Like animals, they may not be able to put their feelings into words.” When Elephants WeepĪnthropomorphism is the attribution of human characteristics to animals.

“Human beings are not always aware of what they are feeling. This book evaluates animals to shine a light on their emotional lives. The sections of this book are broken up into emotions like joy, shame, compassion, and love. If you are an animal lover then there is probably no doubt in your mind. You don’t have to be an animal lover to know that animals have emotions. When Elephants Weep by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson is one of the book that is on my Summer Reading List of 2021. Why should this be so? One reason is that scientists, animal behaviorists, zoologists, and ethologists are fearful of being accused of anthropomorphism, a form of scientific blasphemy.” When Elephants Weep Forming a complete and compelling picture of the inner lives of animals, When Elephants Weep assures that we will never look at animals in the same way again.“I learned that there was almost no investigation of the emotional lives of animals in modern scientific literature. Chapters on love, joy, anger, fear, shame, compassion, and loneliness are framed by a provocative re-evaluation of how we treat animals, from hunting and eating them to scientific experimentation.

Not since Darwin's The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals has a book so thoroughly and effectively explored the full range of emotions that exist throughout the animal kingdom.įrom dancing squirrels to bashful gorillas to spiteful killer whales, Masson and coauthor Susan McCarthy bring forth fascinating anecdotes and illuminating insights that offer powerful proof of the existence of animal emotion.

The popularity of When Elephants Weep has swept the nation, as author Jeffrey Masson appeared on Dateline NBC, Good Morning America, and was profiled in People for his ground-breaking and fascinating study. This national bestseller exploring the complex emotional lives of animals was hailed as 'a masterpiece' by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas and as 'marvelous' by Jane Goodall.