If You Tame Me cover art

If You Tame Me

Understanding Our Connection with Animals

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If You Tame Me

By: Leslie Irvine
Narrated by: Anna Crowe
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About this listen

Nearly everyone who cares about dogs or cats knows that they have a sense of self that renders them unique. Yet traditional science and philosophy declare such feelings irrational and anthropomorphic. Animals, they say, have only the crudest form of thought and no sense of self at all. Leslie Irvine's If You Tame Me challenges these entrenched views by demonstrating that our experience of animals and their behavior tell a different story. In particular, dogs and cats have been significant elements in human history and valued members of our households for centuries. Why do we regard these companions as having distinct personalities and as being irreplaceable? Irvine looks closely at how people form connections with dogs and cats available for adoption in a shelter and reflects on her own relationships with animals. If You Tame Me makes a persuasive case for the existence of a sense of self in companion animals and calls upon us to reconsider our rights and obligations regarding the non-human creatures in our lives.

The book is published by Temple University Press.

©2003 Temple University (P)2017 Redwood Audiobooks
Animals Biological Sciences Cats Dogs Ethics & Morality Outdoors & Nature Pets & Animal Care Philosophy Science Sociology

Critic reviews

"The book will also most certainly inspire animal lovers, who will gain more understanding about cats and dogs." ( Anthrozoos)
"This volume is an important contribution to the recent explosion of sociological analyses of the roles of animals in human life." ( The American Journal of Sociology)
"I learned much from reading this excellent book. I wish it a long life!" (Jeffrey Masson, author of When Elephants Weep: The Emotional Lives of Animals)
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