Minds of Their Own: Thinking and Awareness in Animals

Rating:
Summary: Great introduction to cognition and awareness in animals
Review: Although I personally would like to have explored the topic a little deaper in this book I think it is the best introduction to the topic I have read. Speacies of Mind was way to difficult to read and Animal Minds was okay but Griffin did not spend enough time discussion the concepts and definitions of his topic. Minds of Their Own is nicely organized and concise. Excellent book!

James O'Heare, Dip.C.B.

Rating:
Summary: Best book in a disappointing genre
Review: In a marketplace crowded with texts popularizing recent research in animal cognition, the sophistication, lack of defensiveness, and engaging liveliness of this short book stands out.

Rogers generally avoids a shallow recitation of "gee-whiz" animal anecdotes and instead provides careful discussion and analysis of a few crucial case studies about animal minds. She is well aware that the evidence garnered so far is not conclusive, and she offers many helpful suggestions for new scientific experiments.

Rogers' notable successes include her discussion of brain evolution and the facinating "mirror studies" that tried to demonstrate animal self-awareness. Notable failures include the unsophisticated and dogmatic survey of so,me relevant philosophical issues in her first chapter.

Rogers book is among the best in a farly weak genre. Readers looking for a somewhat sophisticated general review of cognitive ethology would do well to select Rogers instead of the disappointing contributions by Masson, Griffin, and others. However, readers seeking for greater depth and sophistication should bypass this genre altogether and sample the more techincal works of, for example, Colin Allen and Mark Bekoff.

Rating:
Summary: Well rounded, informative and interesting
Review: Leslie Rogers writes a very comprehensive and well documented book. As a researcher in dolphin minds and well-being, this book highlighted not only ways to look at the controversal issue of animal consciousness, but also suggested 'gaps' in the research and directions we should be headed. It covers areas of traditional animal research and the strengths and weaknesses of these, looks into leading edge research and presents all of this is a way that is easy to read and hard to put down. I find Leslie Rogers to be an inspiration. Anyone interested in animal thinking and awareness, at any level will find alot in this book as it covers intelligence, consciousness, evolution, how the environment effects the physical body and visa versa, as well as many examples of animals that do not seem to fit the 'stereotyped' mould science has so far created for them.

Rating:
Summary: Very interesting, but an author who belabors her points.
Review: There is a lot of very interesting material, reasonably well organized. Rogers, a researcher herself, seems to be aware of all the pertinent research, not only in animal intelligence, but in all the related areas: neuro-biology, anthropology, child developmental psychology and evolution. She takes great pride in her objectivity and care as a scientist, without being afraid to express personal beliefs, clearly labeled. Her style leaves something to be desired. She fears the reader will "unscientifically" draw unsubstantiated conclusions, and addresses this by constant repetition of more or less the same warnings. Surprisingly, a number of birds seem to be as intelligent as primates, and even domesticated chickens are fairly intelligent, not withstanding that birds don't have a neo-cortex, and must keep brain size small because of weight considerations.

Rating:
Summary: Very interesting, but an author who belabors her points.
Review: There is a lot of very interesting material, reasonably well organized. Rogers, a researcher herself, seems to be aware of all the pertinent research, not only in animal intelligence, but in all the related areas: neuro-biology, anthropology, child developmental psychology and evolution. She takes great pride in her objectivity and care as a scientist, without being afraid to express personal beliefs, clearly labeled. Her style leaves something to be desired. She fears the reader will "unscientifically" draw unsubstantiated conclusions, and addresses this by constant repetition of more or less the same warnings. Surprisingly, a number of birds seem to be as intelligent as primates, and even domesticated chickens are fairly intelligent, not withstanding that birds don't have a neo-cortex, and must keep brain size small because of weight considerations.