PART II of the interview with Marc Bekoff: ‘More compassion for animals feeds into more compassion for people.’
This is the second part of the interview with Marc Bekoff, vegan and professor emeritus Ecology and Evolutionairy Biology from the University of Colorado.
INTERVIEW – PART I:
Most people attribute emotions to their companion animals, but not to chickens, pigs, cows or other non-companion animals. We treat the animals we eat different than our pets. Biologist Dr. Marc Bekoff is hopeful and makes a call for a more compassionate world where people treat one another and animals better.
PART I of the interview with Marc Bekoff: ‘Animals have emotions and morality’
It took some time, but finally it is online: the first part of the interview with Marc Bekoff, professor emeritus Ecology and Evolutionairy Biology from the University of Colorado, and specialized in the social behaviour and emotional lives of animals. As a bonus there is a video, with many thanks to Robin Van Nuffel!
The interview has been published in the science magazine EOS (in Dutch) and can be downloaded here.
The second part of the interview ”More compassion for animals feeds into more compassion for people’ will be published online soon.
Interview scientist: Forensic doctor
Michel Piette is forensic doctor and professor in forensic medicine at the University of Gent. He investigates the cause of unnatural deaths in Gent and surroundings.
This interview is part of the series ‘Wetenschap Werkt’ (Science Works). It was published in Eos Magazine 2 (Jan. 2010) and can be downloaded here (in Dutch).
Preview video of the interview with ethologist Marc Bekoff
This short video is a teaser for the interview with American ethologist dr. Marc Bekoff.
The first part of the interview will appear soon on my website (in English) and in the science magazine Eos (Dutch only). I talked to Bekoff about emotions, morality, intelligence, consciousness, pain and tool use in animals. Bekoff strongly believes in Darwin’s concept of evolutionary continuity where differences between species are differences in degree and not in kind. This means that if we have a certain characteristic – for example empathy or pain – animals have it too, but in a different degree.
The second part of the interview will appear later on my website. In part two Bekoff addresses the artificial dichotomy between men and the other animals, ‘whom’ we eat, how we treat animals and vegetarianism. Bekoff concludes by sharing the biggest change he believes the world needs right now and how we can help to bring about this change.
Interview scientist: Bioinformatics scientist
Kris Laukens investigates the complexity of biological systems through data integration with mathematical models.
This interview is part of the series ‘Wetenschap Werkt’ (Science Works). It was published in Eos Magazine 1 (Jan. 2010) and can be downloaded here.
Interview scientist: Sustainability experts
An Vercalsteren and Carolin Spirinckx investigate the environmental impact of products/ services by means of life cycle analyses (LCA).
This interview is part of the series ‘Wetenschap Werkt’ (Science Works). It was published in Eos Magazine 12 (Dec. 2009) and can be downloaded here.
Pigeons are intelligent, a kid can see that
© Helga D'Havé. Young pigeons.
Pigeons are not stupid… I knew that since I was a kid. How could they otherwise find their way home to the pigeon house of my uncle after being released in a strange land they had never visited before? The intelligence of pigeons is now scientifically proven.
A short article on this (in Dutch) was published in Eos-magazine 4 (April 2009) and can be downloaded here. The English version follows below: Continue Reading »
Fish feel pain much like humans do
Image credit: Oktaviani Marvikasari
It seems obvious that it is an unpleasant experience for fish (or any other animal) to be caught on a hook or to die slowly from suffocation. Still, many scientists make a difference between an unpleasant experience and pain, that is for non-human animals but not for humans. The debate on whether fish feel stress and pain is still ongoing despite the mounting scientific evidence. In the debate it is often ignored that pain serves an evolutionary function: the pain experience is a necessary trait in order for animals to identify and escape from life threatening situations.
A short article on this (in Dutch) was published in Eos-magazine 7/8 (July-Aug. 2009) and can be downloaded here. The English version follows below:
The Cove and 11 facts on dolphin higher cognitive functioning
Image credit: Ramiro Espinoza
In 2003 I had a close encounter with a Southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) along the shores of Peninsula Valdez, Argentina. I was impressed by the gentle way in which a whale glided along the boat; touching it smoothly and again not, saying hello in it’s own way. If I wouldn’t have been so stunned I could just have made contact with this intelligent and sensitive animal.
The intelligence of dolphins – and other cetaceans – has been well documented and is widely accepted in science. Cetaceans have large brains in relation to the size of their bodies. It is also known that Cetaceans are not only intelligent, but use tools, display a sense of self-awareness, have emotional responses, can master a symbolic language and coordinate social behaviour.
Interview scientist: Food engineer
Marieke Dhooge investigates how to make cheaper qualitative bread for third world countries.
This interview is part of the series ‘Wetenschap Werkt’ (Science Works). It was published in Eos Magazine 11 (Oct. 2009) and can be downloaded here.
