Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel by Carl Safina is a generously descriptive investigation of the biological and behavioural similarities between human and non-human animals as they relate to consciousness. The author follows longtime wildlife researchers at their work and interviews them about the history of their research and the animal behaviours they've observed over decades. The book is split into three sections, each following a different species: elephants, wolves, and orca/dolphins, with research on other animals referred to throughout. The author uses the behaviours they observe as evidence, along with neurobiological similarities, to build an honest and convincing argument for widespread animal cognition and consciousness.
I found this book when I came across excerpts from one of the researcher's accounts of a particular wolf that lived an interesting life in Yellowstone. The wolf is called Wolf 21 and you can probably find these excerpts yourself. It's a beautiful account of a strong, merciful, and loving animal. I'm curious about the conscious experience and thoughts of other animals (Animals and Psychedelics by Giorgio Samorini is another good book). I wonder how animals with very different sense organs, like dolphins, form the world in their mind. I wonder what it is about certain individuals that makes them well-liked by others. I wonder if other animals feel ecstasy or reverence. I wonder what their lives are like and reading about, for example, how elephants live with other elephants makes me feel happy and connected. It's a thoughtful and enriching book.
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