What is the main message of Beyond Words?

The main message of Beyond Words is the awe-inspiring intelligence and emotional lives of animals.

How long does it take to read Beyond Words?

The estimated reading time for Beyond Words is several hours. The Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.

Who is the author of Beyond Words?

The author of Beyond Words is Carl Safina.

Science

Beyond Words Book Summary - Beyond Words Book explained in key points

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Beyond Words summary

Name: Beyond Words
Rating: 4.6 (33 reviews)
Author: Carl Safina

Carl Safina

What Animals Think and Feel

4.6 (33 ratings)

24 mins

Brief summary

Beyond Words by Carl Safina takes a closer look at the emotions and intellect of animals and how they affect their lives. He argues that just like humans, animals are capable of communicating, thinking, and feeling, and we need to start respecting and recognizing these traits.

Topics

Animals Learning

Table of Contents

Beyond Words
Summary of 10 key ideas

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Key idea 1 of 10

What’s in it for me? See animals in a whole new way.

Humans have always lived side by side with animals. We have feared them, worshipped them, domesticated them, even brought them into our homes as pets. But how much do we really know about what they feel and think? And can they think and feel in the first place?

Answering this question is harder than it might seem. First, we must learn to see animals as unique creatures, with different needs, minds and feelings than us, and then start viewing them on their own terms. Only then can we truly get to know them. Interestingly, there’s a lot of research that shows that they can think, feel and communicate in complex ways. You’ll never see animals the same way again.

In these blinks, you’ll learn

how wolves became dogs;
how to get sex if you’re a chimpanzee; and
how killer whales communicate.

We share some characteristics with animals, but their minds are entirely different.

We all know the term “puppy dog eyes” and most of us have felt a surge of emotion at the sight of a pooch wearing this seemingly sad expression. But can dogs really feel emotion?

Actually, anthropomorphism and anthropocentrism are huge roadblocks to seeing animals as they truly are. That’s because scientists are trained to observe and aren’t meant to attribute human characteristics to other beings, or in other words to anthropomorphize them.

A scientist could say that an elephant stood between her child and a hyena, but would shy away from saying she did so to protect the infant. After all, there could be another reason.

And anthropocentrism?

That’s the idea that humans are uniquely capable of feeling and thinking. This is major, because if other animals can’t feel or think like us, then why should they have any rights?

So, a better way to view animals is by acknowledging that they have minds, albeit minds of their own. For example, thanks to their superb hearing, an elephant will notice an approaching truck or a herd of animals long before a human does. As a result, they might move way before their handler even spots something coming. Failing to acknowledge this fact makes it easy to misinterpret elephant behavior.

Therefore it’s key to acknowledge the differences between humans and animals but also those between all creatures on an individual basis. That’s because every human is the same but different – and that’s also true for all other species.

For instance, humans have a long common history with other animals and therefore share common roots, but we have also diverged from them in a variety of ways. Nonetheless, we still share goals like those of survival, reproduction and finding food as well as shelter. Given all of these commonalities, the idea that animals can’t think or feel is totally absurd.

But how can we prove that they can?

Most experiments and theories can’t uncover what animals are thinking.

If someone asked you to design an experiment to determine what thoughts were running through an animal’s head, what would you do?

Well, one popular theory for testing the animal capacity for thought is called the theory of mind, or the ability to determine what others are likely thinking, and then to respond accordingly.

Domestication is key to understanding certain animals and our relationships to them.

As you might know, the domesticated dogs of today are descended from wolves. But you likely don’t know how this process of transformation occurred. Actually, dogs domesticated themselves – here’s how.

Surprisingly enough, it wasn’t the selective breeding of humans that domesticated dogs, but the adaptation of the animals themselves to the human settlements that provided them with food. This made it advantageous for wild dogs to be friendly to humans, as the friendly wolves got more food, bred more and eventually became what we know as dogs.

The brains of other mammals are similar to those of humans.

Did you know that the basic structure of your brain is very similar to that of other mammals?

This surprising fact says a lot about animal thought because having brains and hormones comparable to those of humans makes other mammals act, feel and think much like we do. In fact, animals actually demonstrate cognition, the ability to perceive and acquire knowledge.

Elephants live in organized societies, cooperating and caring for each other.

If you’ve ever observed elephants you know that they organize by group, a clear indication of their complex society. In fact, elephants even understand intra-group relationships, like which baby belongs to whom. This is called “understanding third-party relationships” and it’s key to functioning as a group.

Not just that, but they’re a species led by a matriarch who holds the knowledge and history of the group. When she dies, another female will take her place, the group will divide or merge with another. Furthermore, as it’s essential for elephant families to remember where watering holes and food sources are located, they require adaptable brains, capable of learning.

Human actions have shaped animal consciousness.

Can you imagine someone hunting you down with a gun? Most of us would be terrified. So it's no surprise that that's how animals respond, too.

Orcas, a species that have been systematically hunted – even with machine guns – dramatically decreased in number in the twentieth century. These so-called “killer whales” hunted the same fish that fishermen prized and were therefore seen as competition. On top of that, their young were captured to stock aquariums.

Wolves live in complex societies and are capable of generosity.

So, elephants’ brains are comparable to those of humans and they therefore have similar intelligence. But what about other animals?

Well, it used to be thought that a pack of wolves was led by an alpha male. However, every member of the pack is crucial, from the alpha female he’s breeding with to their pups. That’s because the alphas need their offspring to hunt and need a partner to rear those pups.

All wolves are different, but historically they’ve been marked as evil.

We all know that every person is different and the same is true for animals. However, personality in animals goes largely unacknowledged and it’s an area of study that requires more focus.

For instance, “Oh-Six,” the granddaughter of Twenty-One, was an even more capable hunter. She could bring down two elk all by herself, a feat unheard of until that point. Naturally, her pack flourished. But during a hard winter, Yellowstone proved too small a hunting ground and they left the park.

Killer whales have a highly developed society, but one that’s divided.

If you only looked at their teeth, killer whales would resemble a seafaring T. Rex. But get to know them and you’ll see that they’re cooperative, generous and pose no threat to humans.

Why?

Killer whales communicate in complex ways, as do other animals.

So killer whales can communicate with each other, but the fact that humans can’t understand them is actually a result of our own poor hearing. Sound travels better in water than in air, so killer whales are vocal creatures, and we just don’t have the ears to hear them properly. Orcas can communicate across distances of 150 miles using sound to send messages and locate fish!

Human visual perception is also lacking, which means that what we call visible light is just a fraction of the light that exists. Many animals see more of it or just view it differently than we do – sometimes “seeing” with senses other than sight. Interpreting sounds can be considered a form of vision that even humans can learn.

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What is Beyond Words about?

Beyond Words (2015) is an explanation of the animal world’s propensity for thought and feeling. These blinks walk you through the complex societies of the natural world and explain how animals think, experience real emotion and learn.

Beyond Words Review

Beyond Words by Carl Safina (2015) is a thought-provoking exploration of the inner lives of animals and the deep connections they share with humans. Here's why this book is definitely worth reading:

It presents a compelling argument for granting animals greater respect and consideration, challenging our preconceived notions of intelligence and consciousness.
Filled with captivating stories of animal behavior, the book offers an intimate look into the lives of creatures that are often misunderstood and underestimated.
Through meticulous research and observations, Safina fosters understanding and empathy, leaving readers with a deeper appreciation for the wonders of the animal kingdom.

Best quote from Beyond Words

Only humans have human minds. But believing that only humans have minds is like believing that because only humans have human skeletons, only human have skeletons.

—Carl Safina

Who should read Beyond Words?

Anyone interested in animals
Pet owners
People who think humans are unique in nature

About the Author

Carl Safina holds the endowed chair for nature and humanity at Stony Brook University and is also a staff member of the Alan Alda Center for Communication Science. He has published in National Geographic as well as the New York Times and hosts a PBS series.

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Science

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