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Title: Bones Would Rain from the Sky
Author: Suzanne Clothier
Page: 42
I have often wondered, How am I made any less human or my dog any less canine if I am willing to grant that animals feel pain, joy, grief, love, anger, loyalty and more? Respected anthropologist Franz de Waal, writing in Natural History Magazine, points out that this taboo is a terribly lopsided one. While it is acceptable to use words like enemy, hate, and rage when describing animal behavior, it is not acceptable to say friend, love and grief. While we are all too willing to share the uglier side of emotional life with the animals, we'd like to reserve the really good stuff for ourselves. Even the rules of correct grammar dictate that it is never an animal who behaves but rather an animal that behaves.
Author: Suzanne Clothier
Page: 42
I have often wondered, How am I made any less human or my dog any less canine if I am willing to grant that animals feel pain, joy, grief, love, anger, loyalty and more? Respected anthropologist Franz de Waal, writing in Natural History Magazine, points out that this taboo is a terribly lopsided one. While it is acceptable to use words like enemy, hate, and rage when describing animal behavior, it is not acceptable to say friend, love and grief. While we are all too willing to share the uglier side of emotional life with the animals, we'd like to reserve the really good stuff for ourselves. Even the rules of correct grammar dictate that it is never an animal who behaves but rather an animal that behaves.
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