WHAT ARE WE BECOMING?: The animal protection movement needs a new question
WHAT ARE WE BECOMING?: The animal protection movement needs a new question
A person who has genuinely reckoned with what industrial civilization does to animals, and chosen to act differently, to whatever extent, is not merely kinder to animals. They are a more morally developed person, one who has extended the habits of empathy and honesty beyond the boundaries that convenience would draw. A civilization that extends genuine moral consideration to other species is not merely more compassionate. It is more fully human. EMMA SLAWINSKI: There’s a question worth asking at the end of conversations about animal protection, when the arguments have been made and the positions staked out: What do you think […]
‘Remarkably Bright Creatures’: New film has a talking octopus and a lot of heart
‘Remarkably Bright Creatures’: New film has a talking octopus and a lot of heart
The film ‘Remarkably Bright Creatures’ is the story of a widow who works at a local aquarium and finds joy again when she forms unlikely bonds with a giant Pacific octopus and a wayward young man who comes to town in search of family. Together, they uncover a mystery that will lead them to a life-changing discovery and restore their sense of wonder. TARA BENNETT: Not every bestselling novel should be made into a movie, because what works on the page doesn’t always translate to the screen. Take Shelby Van Pelt’s 2022 novel Remarkably Bright Creatures, which inherently has a high […]
A chimpanzee named Bruno had been taught American Sign Language. But instead of answering the researcher’s question, he signed two words: KEY OUT. The researcher asked him to sign again. Bruno shifted his body so that he was facing him more directly and raised his hands to make his meaning unmistakable. OUT KEY OUT. The researcher understood. He signed back: CAN’T SORRY CAN’T. Bruno’s shoulders dropped, and he walked to the back of his cage. Bruno understood that he was confined. He knew that a key could open the cage. He wanted to leave, and he deliberately communicated that desire to […]
