Posts from the ‘“I Am Not an Animal!”’ category

The “I Am NOT an Animal!” Symposium

It's the big question – perhaps the only one that truly matters right now: "Why is it that, despite the continuing work of animal protection, conservation and ecological groups,…
Animal Protection as a ‘Heroic Enterprise’

Everybody loves a hero. And we all would like to be heroes. Heroism is something we humans strive for. Other kinds of animals behave heroically, too, but among humans, it includes…
“I Am Not an Animal!” –
the Signature Cry of Our Species

The psychology behind why we humans continue to reduce the other animals to the status of resources, commodities and property – even at risk of driving much of life on Earth to…
King Lear, Nature and the End of the World

“The possibility of genuine chaos, real cannibalizing barbarism, is closer to the surface than we can possibly imagine.” Oscar Eustis, artistic director, New…

How Sanctuaries Make Right What’s Wrong

In a time of mass extinction that’s been brought about by human exploitation and can no longer be stopped, what should we do?

The Great Irony of Animal “Rights”

The great irony of the animal rights movement is there is still only one species that has any rights at all: humans. But the Nonhuman Rights Project is setting out to change that.

Why Mass Extinction Is Part of Human Nature

Why would a supposedly “intelligent” species behave in a way that’s bringing about a mass extinction – one that will likely take us down along with so many other animals?

Thoughts of Death Make You Support the Killing of Animals

A new series of studies shows that when people are reminded of their personal mortality, they tend to become more disposed toward the killing of nonhuman animals.

The Worm at the Core

Psychologist Sheldon Solomon explains Terror Management Theory – the study how we manage the lifelong anxiety that’s born of our terror of death – and how it affects our behavior toward other animals.

Why We Can’t Think Straight About Animals

Psychologist Hal Herzog explores the moral confusions and contradictions in our relationships with our fellow animals (not to mention with each other!).

How We “View” Other Animals

How we “view” other animals (from a position of privilege and exploitation), and how our behavior toward them and toward the planet has led to an irreversible, mass extinction.

Companionship Across the Abyss

Is there a hidden meaning behind the story of Adam and Eve and the Serpent? Jonathan Crane explains what it may be telling us about our relationship to our fellow animals … and how it could have been otherwise.

The State of Planet Earth Today

In his overview of the state of Planet Earth today, Carl Safina begins by asking the seemingly unrelated question: “Does my dog really love me? Or does she just want a treat?”

Thinking about Death Leads People to Support Killing Animals

A new study shows that any small reminder – even quite unconscious – of our inevitable mortality causes us to be more supportive of the killing of nonhuman animals

Love Dogs but Eat Pigs? It’s a Paradox

One of his friends calls herself a vegetarian even though she eats fish and chicken. “Well,” she says, “I don’t eat anything with a face.”

What Zoos Tell Us About Ourselves

“When one person is in a cage and someone else is outside the cage, walking up and down and looking at that person, what do you think that suggests about our power relations?”

King Oedipus and the End of the World

What does a piece of Ancient Greek tragedy have to do with our screwed-up relationship to our fellow animals? Quite a lot, in fact!

Cave Paintings and Our Relationship with Other Animals

30,000 years ago, deep in a cave in France, artists painted some of the greatest portrayals of animals ever. In this video we look at what they tell us about our relaitonship to our fellow animals

Why We Tell Ourselves We’re Not Really Animals – Video

Second in a new series: We humans have a constant sense of anxiety over our mortal, animal nature. And we deal with this by telling ourselves that we’re not really animals – despite all the evidence to the contrary.

How We Go About Insisting We’re Not Animals – Video

In this first video of a new series, we look at our deep need as humans to insist that we’re not animals – despite all the evidence to the contrary.

Trumpism, Fascism and the Denial of Death

What does the rise of Donald Trump have to do with the need to believe that “I am not an animal!”? Quite a lot, as it turns out.

An Ape in Heels

A bishop, running for Congress, portrays the First Family as chimpanzees. Offensive and hateful. But it also tells us something about our fear of being great apes ourselves.

The “I Am NOT an Animal!” Symposium

It’s the big question – perhaps the only one that truly matters right now: “Why is it that, despite the continuing work of animal protection, conservation and ecological groups, the situation for most of our fellow animals continues to go from bad to worse?”