Thinking With Animals

Octopus
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Original Air Date: 
April 07, 2018

Can we ever get inside the mind of an animal? Can we really know how an octopus or a parrot thinks and experiences the world? We'll talk with some naturalists and philosophers who're trying, including Helen Macdonald and Peter Godfrey-Smith. And the fascinating story of Charles Foster's attempt to act like a badger, when he lived in a hole in the ground and ate worms.

Living Like a Beast

Badger
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What's it like to be a badger? British naturalist Charles Foster wanted to know, so he dug a burrow and lived in the darkness, eating worms. Yup, it was kind of disgusting, but he says the experience brought him closer to the wildness within himself.

Length: 
10:14

B is for Birdle (the Parrot)

Birdle
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Helen Macdonald's book "H is for Hawk" turned her goshawk Mabel into one of the most memorable literary characters of recent years. Mabel is no longer with her, but Helen now has a new avian companion — an ornery and very smart parrot.

Length: 
9:20

The Tentacled Alien From Under The Sea

Octopus
Articles

Philosopher Peter Godfrey-Smith says the octopus is "probably the closest we will come to meeting an intelligent alien.” It has no bones and most of its neurons are in its arms — not its brain. Can we ever fathom octopus consciousness?

Length: 
10:35

Elena Passarello's Book of Beasts

Starling
Articles

Elena Passarello’s latest book, “Animals Strike Curious Poses,” is a journey through stories of the wild ones: the mammoths, spiders, birds and primates that have left their marks on our society. To the Best of Our Knowledge host Anne Strainchamps talked with Passarello about the “animal gaze” and the legacy of Mozart’s starling, among other animal tales.

Length: 
16:18

The Aristocrats as Told by Koko the Gorilla

Gorilla
Articles

Elena Passarello created “Koko” from the one-thousand word vocabulary of a gorilla who uses sign language. Her book is "Animals Strike Curious Poses."

Show Details 📻
Airdates
April 07, 2018
December 29, 2018
November 16, 2019
June 05, 2021
December 10, 2022
December 09, 2023
Guests: 
Helen MacDonald

Helen Macdonald

Author and Naturalist
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Charles Foster

Charles Foster

Author
charlesfoster.co.uk
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Peter Godfrey-Smith

Professor
Elena Passarello

Elena Passarello

Author
Categories: 
Nature
Last modified: 
December 06, 2023