In Defense of Dolphins: The New Moral Frontier / Edition 1

by Thomas I. White

Overview

Have humans been sharing the planet with other intelligent life for millions of years without realizing it? In Defense of Dolphins combines accessible science and philosophy, surveying the latest research on dolphin intelligence and social behavior, to advocate for their ethical treatment.

• Encourages a reassessment of the human-dolphin relationship, arguing for an end to the inhuman treatment of dolphins
• Written by an expert philosopher with almost twenty-years of experience studying dolphins
• Combines up-to-date research supporting the sophisticated cognitive and emotional capacities of dolphins with entertaining first-hand accounts
• Looks at the serious questions of intelligent life, ethical treatment, and moral obligation
• Engaging and thought-provoking

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781405157797
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	07/23/2007
Series:	Blackwell Public Philosophy Series , #6
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	555,985
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Thomas I. White, Ph.D. is the Hilton Professor of Business Ethics and Director of the Center for Ethics and Business at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California. He is also the Scientific Advisor to the Wild Dolphin Project in Jupiter, Florida. He received his Ph.D. in Philosophy from Columbia University in 1974, and he taught at Upsala College and Rider University in New Jersey before moving to California. In addition to numerous scholarly articles on a variety of philosophical topics, he is the author of Right and Wrong, Discovering Philosophy, Business Ethics and Men and Women at Work (with Katherine Kearney). Since 1990, he has observed and assisted with the research of Dr. Denise Herzing of the Wild Dolphin Project, a marine scientist who has been studying a community of wild Atlantic spotted dolphins in the Bahamas for more than 20 years.

Table of Contents

Prologue: Why does a philosopher study dolphins?.

1. Dolphins: The Philosophical Questions.

2. The Anatomy and Physiology of Living in the Water.

3. Do Dolphins Think and Feel?.

4. Can Dolphins Solve Problems and Understand Language?.

5. Dolphin Social Intelligence.

6. What Kind of Beings are Dolphins?.

7. Ethics and Human/Dolphin Contact.

Epilogue.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Tom White's book is a superb intellectual achievement. It combines mastery of the scientific evidence together with acute ethical analysis. It is a seminal contribution to the literature on animal ethics."
–Andrew Linzey, Director of the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics

"Thomas White does the research and brings the evidence for psychological complexity in dolphins to his readers in a compelling manner. Amidst the ongoing worldwide exploitation of dolphins in drive hunts and captivity he challenges all of us to rethink how we treat these beings. This wonderful and important book could not have come at a better time."
–Lori Marino, Emory University 

"In Defense of Dolphins is a much needed look at the current status of ethics and treatment of dolphins in a variety of conditions. Dr. White reviews current research to argue that we should reanalyze and reconsider some of the treatment issues around dolphins and human activity. As research and education strives to improve our world and our treatment of the inhabitants in it, so does this extensive exploration of the issues around another intelligent species."
–Denise Herzing, Wild Dolphin Project

"‘Alien intelligence’ or ‘nonhuman person’, or...? You will never think about dolphins the same way after reading this insightful and thought-provoking new book."
–Jerry R. Schubel, President and CEO, Aquarium of the Pacific

"In Defense of Dolphins is the most important book ever written about these animals.
This is a book that has been crying out to be produced, but one that could only be properly written now. Professor White has carefully, indeed painstakingly, taken the latest scientific research and used it to address the key questions that make the case for dolphinkind to be given 'moral standing' or 'rights'. His case is compelling and the book is both fascinating as an exercise in the systematic distillation of information, as well as its status as the key document that makes a case for the better treatment of dolphins. It is also highly readable and rich with remarkable insights into dolphin intelligence and behaviour."
–Mark Simmonds, International Director of Science, WDCS, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society

Editorial Reviews

"Everyone who is interested in Cetaceans and respects them has to read this book." (Mammalia, 2011)

“This humbling book is a must-read for anyone who respects cetaceans and would like to step back from preconceived anthropocentric notions to learn more about these ‘people of the sea.’” (Animal Welfare Institute, June 2009)

"Thought-provoking … very readable and well laid out … (White) raises some important issues regarding the way we view other species."
Universities Federation for Animal Welfare

“White is a distinguished, well-published philosopher…His book is clearly written, carefully reasoned, and easily read. Summing Up: Highly recommended.”
Choice

From the Publisher