When Animals Dream - by David M Peña-Guzmán (Hardcover)

About the Book

"A ... look at the philosophical and moral implications of animal dreaming"--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

A spellbinding look at the philosophical and moral implications of animal dreaming

Are humans the only dreamers on Earth? What goes on in the minds of animals when they sleep? When Animals Dream brings together behavioral and neuroscientific research on animal sleep with philosophical theories of dreaming. It shows that dreams provide an invaluable window into the cognitive and emotional lives of nonhuman animals, giving us access to a seemingly inaccessible realm of animal experience.

David Peña-Guzmán uncovers evidence of animal dreaming throughout the scientific literature, suggesting that many animals run "reality simulations" while asleep, with a dream-ego moving through a dynamic and coherent dreamscape. He builds a convincing case for animals as conscious beings and examines the thorny scientific, philosophical, and ethical questions it raises. Once we accept that animals dream, we incur a host of moral obligations and have no choice but to rethink our views about who animals are and the interior lives they lead.

A mesmerizing journey into the otherworldly domain of nonhuman consciousness, When Animals Dream carries profound implications for contemporary debates about animal cognition, animal ethics, and animal rights, challenging us to regard animals as beings who matter, and for whom things matter.

Review Quotes

"When Animals Dream is an absolute joy. Peña-Guzmán writes with such lyricism that the book at times reads like poetry, and I found myself often revisiting passages just to bask in the beautiful language... The arguments presented here are so elegant and convincing that one ends up puzzled as to why dreams haven't been considered an important piece of evidence of animal consciousness until now... [and] his argument that dreams confer moral status is not only cogent but highly innovative."---Susana Monsó, Environmental Ethics

"Recommended."---J. A. Mather, Choice

"Thought-provoking. . . .Fluid, nicely-paced read, with a lovely mixture of anecdote, analysis and speculation."---Jonathan Shock, Mathemafrica ​​​​​​​

"Winner of the PROSE Award in Philosophy, Association of American Publishers"

"[An] intriguing book. . . . Scientists have always speculated about the inner worlds of animals; Peña-Guzmán offers a novel, and poetic, way in."---Camille Bromley, The Atlantic

"When Animals Dream is a fascinating, challenging, and thought-provoking book that gives human exceptionalism a philosophically-grounded middle finger."---Leon Vlieger, Inquisitive Biologist

"Amiable, lucid, and concise. . . . Peña-Guzmán addresses his own conjectures with a winning frankness."---Laura Miller, Slate

"An intellectual tour de force . . . . this book will change minds."---Simon Ings, New Scientist

"I can recommend [this book] to anyone who cares about animals."---Barbara J. King, Times Literary Supplement

About the Author

David M. Peña-Guzmán is associate professor of humanities at San Francisco State University. He specializes in animal studies, theories of consciousness, the history and philosophy of science, and contemporary European philosophy. He is coauthor of Chimpanzee Rights: The Philosophers' Brief and cohost of the popular Overthink podcast.