Description
Book SynopsisTurns a critical eye on Aesop''s Fables to ask whether there is any scientific truth to Aesop's portrayal of his animals.Despite originating more than two-and-a-half thousand years ago,
Aesop's Fables are still passed on from parent to child, and are embedded in our collective consciousness. The morals we have learned from these tales continue to inform our judgements, but have the stories also informed how we regard their animal protagonists? If so, is there any truth behind the stereotypes? Are wolves deceptive villains? Are crows insightful geniuses? And could a tortoise really beat a hare in a race?In
Aesop''s Animals, zoologist Jo Wimpenny turns a critical eye to the fables to discover whether there is any scientific truth to Aesop's portrayal of the animal kingdom. She brings the tales into the twenty-first century, introducing the latest findings on some of the most fascinating branches of ethological research the study of why animals do the things t
Trade ReviewCome for the fables and stay for the behavioral research in this
jam-packed but delightful collection …
Aesop’s Animals is both an
intense and playful look at how humans — storytellers and scientists alike — consider the mysteries inside the creatures with whom we share this planet. * Scientific American *
A spirited romp through modern cognitive ethology. * Wall Street Journal *
Engaging and comprehensive, this is
highly readable popular science. * Hannah Beckerman, The Observer *
Every once in a publisher’s blue moon, along comes a book so simple and
original in its concept that it
verges on brilliance and 1,000 science and nature writers howl: "Why did we not think of it?" Such is
Aesop’s Animals by zoologist Jo Wimpenny, which does precisely what it says on the lid: it puts the anthropomorphic fables of Aesop
under the electron microscope of modern science. […] a clever cadastral survey of animal behavioural studies. * Country Life *
I simply couldn't put it down. The clever ways in which Wimpenny weaves in current scientific facts about topics including future planning, tool use, self-recognition, cooperation, and deception with Aesop's lessons was spellbinding. * Psychology Today *
Wimpenny has the knack for bringing interesting research to life with anecdotes without obscuring the more significant challenges of determining just what animals can do and what they may be thinking. * Wellbeing International *
Wimpenny pumps life into the hard science and keeps her discussions accessible, offering plenty of insight into how humans interpret the natural world. * Publishers Weekly *
Table of ContentsPreface 1: The Crow and the Pitcher 2: The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing 3: The Dog and its Shadow 4: The Ass Carrying the Image 5: The Fox and the Crow 6: The Lion and the Shepherd 7: The Monkey and the Fisherman 8: The Ants and the Grasshopper 9: The Hare and the Tortoise Epilogue Selected Bibliography Acknowledgements Index
