Animal Emotions, Intelligence and Consciousness

I recently finished reading Temple Grandin's "Animals in Translation. Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behaviour". Great insights on animals for sure! Anyone who lives or works with animals should read this book. Finally, more and more people with "credibility" are proving that animals do have emotions, intelligence and consciousness. They aren't always the same or even similar to our own emotions, intelligence and consciousness but are there nonetheless. This is not a surprise to anyone who pays a lot of attention to their animals but for those who maintain their fearful grip on the idea that to attribute such qualities to animals is to anthropomorphize, they will soon realize that their fear and application of the term is far too simplistic and absolute.

Grandin supports the idea that animals have these qualities with scientific studies of the brain in normal humans and animals, brain-injured humans, and humans with conditions like autism. Her own experience as an autistic person has given her much insight into how animals perceive the world (as evidenced by her employment), and inspiration to seek scientific support for her ideas. Regardless of your opinion, you will find this book fascinating and if you are an animal-lover, you will love it!

Here's a glimpse of what she does:



Animals in Translation Blog
Temple Grandin's Website