Marc Bekoff
Encyclopedia
Marc Bekoff is Professor Emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He currently lives in Colorado and lectures internationally on issues of animal behavior, cognitive ethology
(the study of animal minds), and behavioral ecology
.
Like Jane Goodall
, Marc Bekoff is an ethologist, which means a scientist who studies animal behavior. With Goodall, he co-founded Ethologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals: Citizens for Responsible Animal Behavior Studies.
Bekoff is a patron of the Captive Animals Protection Society
, a charity campaigning for an end to the use of non-human animals in circuses, zoos and the exotic pet
trade.
In May 2010, Bekoff wrote a piece on "Expanding Our Compassionate Footprint" for the Greater Good Science Center
's online magazine. He argued that to understand the roots of human goodness, we've got to look beyond humans, and incorporate the empathy displayed among the animal kingdom
.
Cognitive ethology
The fusion of cognitive science and classical ethology into cognitive ethology "emphasizes observing animals under more-or-less natural conditions, with the objective of understanding the evolution, adaptation , causation, and development of the species-specific behavioral repertoire" - .- Relation...
(the study of animal minds), and behavioral ecology
Behavioral ecology
Behavioral ecology, or ethoecology, is the study of the ecological and evolutionary basis for animal behavior, and the roles of behavior in enabling an animal to adapt to its environment...
.
Like Jane Goodall
Jane Goodall
Dame Jane Morris Goodall, DBE , is a British primatologist, ethologist, anthropologist, and UN Messenger of Peace. Considered to be the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees, Goodall is best known for her 45-year study of social and family interactions of wild chimpanzees in Gombe Stream National...
, Marc Bekoff is an ethologist, which means a scientist who studies animal behavior. With Goodall, he co-founded Ethologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals: Citizens for Responsible Animal Behavior Studies.
Bekoff is a patron of the Captive Animals Protection Society
Captive Animals Protection Society
The Captive Animals' Protection Society is a UK charity campaigning to end the use of animals in entertainment, including circuses, zoos, the exotic pet trade and the audio-visual industry.-History:...
, a charity campaigning for an end to the use of non-human animals in circuses, zoos and the exotic pet
Exotic pet
An exotic pet is a rare or unusual animal pet, or an animal kept as a pet which is not commonly thought of as a pet.The definition is an evolving one; some rodents, reptiles, and amphibians have become firmly enough established in the world of animal fancy to no longer be considered exotic...
trade.
In May 2010, Bekoff wrote a piece on "Expanding Our Compassionate Footprint" for the Greater Good Science Center
Greater Good Science Center
The Greater Good Science Center, located at the University of California, Berkeley is an interdisciplinary research center devoted to the scientific understanding of happy and compassionate individuals, strong social bonds, and altruistic behavior. By studying individuals and their relationships,...
's online magazine. He argued that to understand the roots of human goodness, we've got to look beyond humans, and incorporate the empathy displayed among the animal kingdom
Kingdom (biology)
In biology, kingdom is a taxonomic rank, which is either the highest rank or in the more recent three-domain system, the rank below domain. Kingdoms are divided into smaller groups called phyla or divisions in botany...
.
Works
Marc Bekoff has published more than 200 papers and 22 books. His books include the following:- Species of mind: The philosophy and biology of cognitive ethology (with Colin Allen, 1997)
- Nature's purposes: Analyses of function and design in biology (edited with Colin Allen and George Lauder, 1998)
- Animal play: Evolutionary, comparative, and ecological perspectives (edited with John Byers, 1998)
- Encyclopedia of animal rights and animal welfare (1998)
- The cognitive animal: Empirical and theoretical perspectives on animal cognition (edited by Marc Bekoff, Colin Allen, and Gordon Burghardt, 2002)
- Minding animals: Awareness, emotions, and heart (2002)
- The Ten Trusts: What we must do to care for the animals we love (Jane Goodall and Marc Bekoff, 2002)
- Animals Matter: A Biologist Explains Why We Should Treat Animals with Compassion and Respect (2007)
- The Emotional Lives of Animals: A Leading Scientist Explores Animal Joy, Sorrow, and Empathy and Why They Matter (2007)
- Wild Justice: The Moral Lives of Animals (Marc Bekoff and Jessica Pierce, 2009) ISBN 978-0226041612
- The Animal Manifesto: Six Reasons For Expanding Our Compassion Footprint (2010)