Can We Understand Animal Minds?

What can we claim to know and what do we mean when we talk about non-human animals? This book is directed at the assumptions that underlie our thought about and discussion of animals. It confronts fascinating dilemmas about knowledge and meaning in relation to animals other than ourselves. Current theories of mind are too often limited to humankind, The authors demonstrate the limitations of these traditional approaches, providing instead a solid foundation for interactive techniques in animal studies. They examine reasons for our reluctance to attribute psychological states and capacities to animals, and focus on the expressive life of animals. This approach allows for the removal of obstacles that stand in the way of a proper sensitivity to the world as shared.