"In her marvelous book, Gigliotti reveals the astonishing depth and
genius of animal creativity, demolishing a common view of animals as little
more than robots mindlessly enacting the scripts given to them by Nature.
Drawing on a century of ethological findings, the author shows how animals
bring deep intelligence, emotions, and even an aesthetic sensibility to bear
on their daily challenges. Animals are shown to be not mere ‘types,’ but
creative individuals and artists of their own lives. This is the rare work
that opens our eyes to worlds of experience and being that would otherwise
remain hidden from us."
~ John Sanbonmatsu, author of Critical Theory and Animal Liberation
"The Creative Lives of Animals is a game-changer. Carol Gigliotti shows
how important creativity –improvisation and invention–is in a wide variety
of contexts including expressing different emotions, playing, socially
communicating with others, courting, mating, and raising children, and
designing and engineering animals' homes. Easy-to-read and science-based,
The Creative Lives of Animals will be of interest to a broad audience
including researchers and non-researchers alike, and surely will change the
ways in which humans view and treat the fascinating animals with whom we
share our magnificent planet."
~ Marc Bekoff, author of Canine Confidential: Why Dogs Do What They Do
"Finely written. Gigliotti, tuned into nature and the lives of animals,
offers a good model for the rest of us to follow, helping us see the world
not from myopic humanism but from the perspective of animals. Implicitly,
Gigliotti asks everyone and not just scientists to learn about the lives of
animals in our shared ecosphere to which we are all tied with an equal
fate."
~ Gregory F. Tague ― Leonardo Reviews
"If you doubt that other beings can create, prepare to be convinced
otherwise. With a delightful combination of science and anecdote, Gigliotti
explores a neglected facet of the inner lives of our fellow denizens of
planet Earth. The result is a highly readable and accessible foray into the
creative lives of animals."
~ Jonathan Balcombe
"The Creative Lives of Animals makes its strongest case when advocating a
revision of how to think about, and act towards, animals. Ms. Gigliotti
points out that humans are only one of millions of species on Earth. She
suggests a retreat from anthropocentrism in favor of recognition that
animals are individuals with complicated, powerful, creative lives of their
own."
~ The Economist
"An illuminating account of creativity in the wild. Gigliotti makes a solid
case that humans have a lot to learn about the creatures that they share the
planet with, and that much of what scientists previously thought was
uniquely human isn’t. Fans of Jane Goodall and Frans de Waal will be
pleased."
~ Publishers Weekly (starred)
"Gigliotti builds the case that animals of all types―from elephants to
ants―are intelligent, albeit in ways that may manifest differently than
humans, and they can communicate nuance, allowing individual behavioral
innovation to spread through a community. Ultimately, her agenda is to seek
greater empathy, value, and protection for animals by including them into a
global creative force. This broad survey of creative animal behavior will
appeal to artists of all types and to animal lovers."
~ Library Journal
"If you’ve ever purchased one of the many different types of ‘squirrel
proof’ bird feeders, you can attest to the resourcefulness of animals. In
this intriguing investigation of animal ingenuity, Gigliotti contemplates
the novelty and meaning of creativity along with some essential elements,
such as curiosity, flexibility, and persistence."
~ Booklist
"The Creative Lives of Animals is smart, original, and well-written.
Gigliotti topples one of the last remaining conceits about what
distinguishes humans from nonhuman animals: the aptitude for creative
expression and aesthetic appreciation. The Creative Lives of Animals is
masterfully researched, and will surely make vital contributions to debates
not only in animal studies but also in the philosophy of mind and even
performance studies. At the same time, the writing sparkles, and the book
overflows with stories so accessible and well-crafted that the book deserves
wide readership. This is a work that has the potential to fundamentally
change the way we think about animals--and ourselves."
~ Colin Jerolmack, author of The Global Pigeon
"So many people are reluctant to admit that the species we share this planet
with are also creative. Perhaps this book will change their minds.
Eye-opening and fascinating."
~ John Yunker ― EcoLit Books
Carol Gigliotti is Professor Emerita of Dynamic Media and Critical and Cultural Studies at Emily Carr University of Art and Design. She is the editor of Leonardo’s Choice: Genetic Technologies and Animals.
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