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Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat

Why It's So Hard to Think Straight About Animals

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

"A fascinating, thoughtful, and thoroughly enjoyable exploration of a major dimension of human experience."— Steven Pinker, author of How the Mind Works

A maverick scientist reveals the inconsistent and often paradoxical ways humans think, feel, and behave towards animals in this engaging, informative, and though-provoking book, now newly revised.

Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat is a highly entertaining and illuminating journey through the full spectrum of human-animal relations. Drawing on his groundbreaking research in the field of anthrozoology, Dr. Hal Herzog tries to make sense of our complex relationships with animals and the challenging moral conundrums we face regarding these creatures who share our world—and some, our homes.

A blend of anthropology, behavioral economics, evolutionary psychology, and philosophy, updated to reflect evolving attitudes and the most recent findings, Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat is a poignant, often challenging, and frequently laugh-out-loud funny trip through a world of animal rights activists, cockfighters, professional dog-show handlers, veterinary students, biomedical researchers, and more. It will forever change the way we think about other living creatures and, ultimately, how we see ourselves.

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    • Publisher's Weekly

      July 26, 2010
      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.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Hal Herzog is a friendly anthrozoologist--a person who studies human-animal relationships. He presents listeners with a fascinating look at the inconsistencies and hypocrisies that humans have when it comes to animals. Why do we love kittens but hate snakes? Why do so many people oppose cockfighting but eat factory-farmed chicken? How many mice should we sacrifice to discover a cure for dengue fever? For baldness? Mel Foster adeptly translates Herzog's whimsical tone, complete with wondrous and gee-whiz reactions. But Herzog is serious too, and Foster unfailingly holds the listeners' attention through accounts of multiple research studies. Foster doesn't do accents well, and trying to imitate Chris Rock is definitely a mistake, but these are minor irritations in an entertaining performance. A.B. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      October 25, 2010
      Mel Foster delivers a lively performance of Herzog's exploration of human-animal relationships. Based on his biomedical research and the study of anthrozoology, Herzog investigates everything from animal rights activists to factory farming in an effort to better understand the way we relate to animals and to determine what these relationships reveal about the human experience. Foster's narration is straightforward and well paced; he both elucidates complex scientific concepts and entertains with renderings of real-life—and often comedic—animal anecdotes. Perhaps more importantly, Foster's narration is objective; he manages to bring fairness and balance to the controversial subject of animal rights. Never preachy, never divisive, Foster produces an audiobook that will appeal to all listeners, be they committed vegans or enthusiastic big game hunters. A Harper hardcover (Reviews, July 26).

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  • English

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