Product Description

An exploration of animal cognition along the evolutionary spectrum - from children to other intelligent primates to dolphins, parrots, elephants, dogs and even honeybees. Steven Wise finds answers to the big question in animal rights today: Where do we draw the line? He presents a firsthand account of the investigations of animal experts: Cynthia Moss and the affectionate families of Amboseli; Irene Pepperberg and her grey parrot, Alex; and Penny Paterson with the gorilla Koko. In many cases, Wise was even able to sustain an extended conversation with these extraordinary creatures.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2315253 in Books
• Published on: 2002-06-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

About the Author
Steven M. Wise, J.D. has practised animal protection law for 20 years and teaches 'Animal Rights Law' at the Harvard Law School and others. Former President of the Animal Legal Defense Fund, and Founder and President of the Center for the Expansion of Fundamental Rights, he has written numerous articles about animal rights and is the author of Rattling the Cage (Profile).

Customer Reviews

Yes, Virginia, your puppy does have a soul!
In Unlocking The Cage, animal-rights attorney and law professor Steven M. Wise reprises and extends the arguments he presented in his highly successful first book, Rattling The Cage, on behalf of the legal personhood of chimpanzees and bonobos to that of gorillas, orangutans, dolphins, parrots, elephants, dogs, and honeybees, comparing their abilities to think, reason, remember, deceive, and play-act with those of his precocious four year-old son, Christopher. His goal is simply and modestly stated: "Shifts occur only after people come to believe that something is possible. Making the argument that at least some nonhuman animals should have basic legal rights and be recognized as legal persons is the first step toward informing policymakers, judges, and the public about what is known, and, therefore, attaining the goal." In the process, Professor Wise both confirms with scholarly and scientific citations what the reader intuitively expects - namely, that primates are more intelligent than other forms of animal life - and avoids such excesses as advocating vegetarianism which have too often vitiated the polemics of activists in the field. Like Rattling The Cage, Unlocking The Cage is highly readable, informative, educative, and entertaining. As Milton said, "A good book is the life blood of a master spirit," a classification to which the learned Professor Wise himself clearly belongs.

Yes, Virginia, your puppy does have a soul!
In Unlocking The Cage, animal-rights attorney and law professor Steven M. Wise reprises and extends the arguments he presented in his highly successful first book, Rattling The Cage, on behalf of the legal personhood of chimpanzees and bonobos to that of gorillas, orangutans, dolphins, parrots, elephants, dogs, and honeybees, comparing their abilities to think, reason, remember, deceive, and play-act with those of his precocious four year-old son, Christopher. His goal is simply and modestly stated: "Shifts occur only after people come to believe that something is possible. Making the argument that at least some nonhuman animals should have basic legal rights and be recognized as legal persons is the first step toward informing policymakers, judges, and the public about what is known, and, therefore, attaining the goal." In the process, Professor Wise both confirms with scholarly and scientific citations what the reader intuitively expects - namely, that primates are more intelligent than other forms of animal life - and avoids such excesses as advocating vegetarianism which have too often vitiated the polemics of activists in the field. Like Rattling The Cage, Unlocking The Cage is highly readable, informative, educative, and entertaining. As Milton said, "A good book is the life blood of a master spirit," a classification to which the learned Professor Wise himself clearly belongs.