Frans de Waal, celebrated biologist, primatologist and author of works such as The Bonobo and the Atheist, has a grudge to settle with animal intelligence skeptics. In Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?, de Waal challenges the long-held belief that "there was no need to worry about the internal lives of animals, and anyone who did was anthropomorphic, romantic, or unscientific." The title is an excellent summary of its contents, which is largely an argument against human-centric notions of intelligence and in favor of looking at animals as more than simple "stimulus-response machines."
To make his point, de Waal delves into science's fraught relationship with animal cognition, using anecdotes, fieldwork and data to support his conclusions. The material is thoughtful, but rarely dry, and punctuated occasionally by humor. Take this passage, for example, on feline intelligence: "A recent study showed that felines have no trouble recognizing their owner's voice. The deeper problem is that they don't care." De Waal's enthusiasm and deep empathy are infectious as he sets out to prove that "every single species has profound insights to offer." And while de Waal is perfectly aware of the old dictum that "the plural of anecdote is not data," he recognizes the distinctive power they have to demonstrate abstract concepts to the layperson. The few readers who aren't convinced by de Waal's impassioned argumentation will at least be entertained by his light touch. --Hank Stephenson, bookseller, Flyleaf Books