Are humans the only animals with culture? In episode 54 of Overthink, Ellie and David explore the social and cultural bonds that animals develop with one another. For instance, what can elephant mourning rituals tell us about elephant society and whether these creatures have a concept of death? Then, they sit down with philosopher Cynthia Willett to discuss her work on animal sociality. According to Willett, intra- and trans-species sociality challenges modern conceptions of ethical life as a matter of individual choices and abstract laws.
Works Discussed
David Peña-Guzmán, When Animals Dream
Hal Whitehead and Luke Rendell, The Cultural Lives of Whales and Dolphins
Cynthia Willett, Interspecies Ethics
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