What Philosophy Can Tell You about Your Dog

by Steven D. Hales (Editor)

Do dogs live in the same world as humans? Is it wrong to think dogs have personalities and emotions? What are dogs thinking and what’s the nature of canine wisdom? This is a book for thoughtful dog-lovers who want to explore the deeper issues raised by dogs and their relationships with humans. Twenty philosophers and dog-lovers reveal their experiences with dogs and give their insights on dog-related themes of metaphysics and ethics.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction

288 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2008

Reviews

[Dawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not sure that philosophy is something I am really interested in, so someone else who does enjoy the subject may like this book more than I do. Some essays were interesting, some tedious and hinging on what seemed to me to be very tenuous presumptions. The last essay was the best for me, as it had a more practical basis and so felt like an idea worth mulling over for its implications on how we live.

[Leigh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. The philosophy suffered from a dependency on anecdotal evidence. Most of the writers seemed to have a perfectly fine understanding of philosophical perspectives but a fairly weak understanding of animal behavior.

[Jaime · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a collection of essays, so naturally I liked some of the essay authors better than others. Some were a little too into listing what every major philosopher thought of the certain topic. Some essays were fun! Light-hearted philosophy and dog trivia.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not cutesy--a very interesting approach to traditional philosophical problems and philosophers.

[Norm · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is from a series of books that use popular culture to teach philosophy. Spiderman and philosophy, etc.

Just couldn't get past the 1/3 mark.

[Alesia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really interesting until the last 100 pages when it reminded me why i hated philosophy so much in college but I did learn a few things from this book today.