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How to Be Animal

What it Means to Be Human
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( 786 ratings, 117 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
How to Be Animal by Melanie Challenger delves into the essence of what it means to be human by examining our animal origins. Through an engaging mix of science and philosophy, the book explores how acknowledging our connection to the animal kingdom can reshape our understanding of human life and our place in the world. It urges readers to reconsider the artificial boundaries we set between humans and other species, leading to a deeper appreciation of life.
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're fascinated by the human connection to the natural world and eager to explore our evolutionary past. It offers a thought-provoking exploration of what it means to be human within the broader context of life on Earth, combining science with profound philosophical insights.

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Combining popular science, history and moral philosophy, this is a wide-ranging and radical take on the human story and what it means for us today.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Humans are the most inquisitive, emotional, imaginative, aggressive and baffling animals on the planet. But how well do we really know ourselves?

How to Be Animal offers a radical take on what it means to be human and argues that at the heart of our psychology is a profound struggle with being animal. Tracing the history of this thinking through to its far-reaching effects on our lives, and drawing on a range of disciplines, Challenger proposes that being an animal is a process, beautiful and unpredictable, and that we have a chance to tell ourselves a new story; to realise that if we matter, so does everything else.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The book, written by Melanie Challenger, offers a profound critique of the myth of human exceptionalism, highlighting the denial of our animal nature and its damaging effects on our lives and the planet. Reviews praise its compelling argument, lyrical language, and its ability to provide both a challenging and celebratory perspective on human existence. It serves as a guide to rediscovering our place in the natural world and promises to leave readers both wiser and happier.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781786895752

Publisher: Canongate Books

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 03 February 2022

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Canongate Books

Edition: Main

Illustration: Black & white images (photos and drawings throughout)

Audience: Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 17.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 184g

Pages: 272

About the Author

Melanie Challenger works as a researcher on the history of humanity and the natural world, and environmental philosophy. She is the author of On Extinction: How We Became Estranged from Nature. She received a Darwin Now Award for her research in the Canadian Arctic, and the Arts Council International Fellowship with the British Antarctic Survey for her work on the history of whaling.

melaniechallenger.com

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