New Book Explores Animal Emotions
In
laboratories, animals are treated essentially like medical supplies.
They are shipped in, studied, and disposed of. But increasingly,
scientists are coming to understand the complexities of animals’ psychological
and social lives. In a new book, PCRM ethologist Jonathan Balcombe,
Ph.D., explores animals’ capacity for happiness
 Pleasurable Kingdom: Animals and the Nature of Feeling Good (Macmillan,
May 2006) takes an in-depth look at new evidence that animals do
enjoy themselves. Dr. Balcombe suggests that all creatures big
and small have the capability for happiness thanks to play, touch,
sex, food, and even anticipation. He provides rigorous evidence
along with detailed anecdotes of different species showing a wide
array of emotions and behaviors.
Dr. Balcombe concludes that this new information has important
ethical consequences for both science and society. He holds that
we have a responsibility to look at animals as individuals who
can feel rather than as populations. If pleasure is what makes
life for humans worth living, then animals’ ability to feel
pleasure also makes their lives worth living.
Dr. Balcombe brings to his writing years of research involving
animal behavior. He received his doctorate in ethology from the
University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and has published papers on
the behavioral ecology of birds, bats, and turtles. He previously
published The Use of Animals in Higher Education: Problems,
Alternatives, and Recommendations, and has contributed
to more than 30 book chapters and academic journals.
Dr. Balcombe will be appearing at readings and book signings
at bookstores across the country. To find out more about Pleasurable
Kingdom, or to see if Dr. Balcombe will be coming to
your area, please visit www.PleasurableKingdom.com.
PCRM Online,
May 2006
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