In Defense of Dolphins The New Moral Frontier

by White, Thomas I.

• ISBN13: 9781405157780
• ISBN10: 140515778X
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2007-07-23
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Summary

Have humans been sharing the planet with other intelligent life for millions of years without realizing it? This timely and important book considers the answers and implications, and encourages humans to reconsider our treatment of the species with whom we share the earth. In this thought-provoking account noted philosopher, Dr. Thomas I. White relies on his more than fifteen year journey to understand the true nature of Dolphins, an odyssey that took him from the classroom to the center of the ocean. With a growing body of research supporting the sophisticated cognitive and emotional capacities of dolphins, important questions concerning their ethical treatment have arisen. Rich with engaging first-hand accounts, In Defense of Dolphins combines accessible science and philosophy, surveying the latest research on dolphin intelligence and social behavior, making a strong case for improving the moral status of dolphins, and advocating an end to their inhuman treatment.

Author Biography

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?

Dolphins: The Philosophical Questions

The Anatomy and Physiology of Living in the Water

Do Dolphins Think and Feel?

Can Dolphins Solve Problems and Understand Language?

Dolphin Social Intelligence

What Kind of Beings are Dolphins?

Ethics and Human/Dolphin Contact

Epilogue

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