Do you think animals have emotions?!


Question: Do you think animals have emotions!?
I do!. I think they are also more intelligent then we give them credit for!.!.!.!.!.

http://www!.youtube!.com/watch!?v=adYbFQFXG!.!.!.

how sweet! xWww@FoodAQ@Com


Answers:
Wanted to answer this a bit earlier but my browser seized up!.

That's an amazing video especially when they pat the wild lioness (eek)!.

I started realizing they did when I read about the Octopus that reaches out to touch his keeper (followed up with how his mate desperately saved her eggs from the keepers):
http://www!.usatoday!.com/news/science/200!.!.!.
http://www!.msnbc!.msn!.com/id/6667397/

Then I read how Seahorses mate for life mourning their missing mate and will gaze at each other longingly if separated:
http://www!.dailykos!.com/storyonly/2006/1!.!.!.

But the article that will make you cry was recently in the New York Times about geese on the farm (warning; it's not full of happy endings):
http://www!.nytimes!.com/2008/07/31/opinio!.!.!.

==

The reason we don't attribute much intelligence is one, it's hard for our own intelligence to comprehend and two, then we would soften to them and not be able to do the things we do to them!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

Wonderful video!. Yes, there were many evidence animals saved the humans, Dolphin rescued the people and dog helped his master!. Ever you heard that Buddhist monks living with tigers in Monastery Tiger Temple!? Amazing!.!.!.
http://www!.youtube!.com/watch!?v=Mb5DARv3-!.!.!.

The question is not, "Can they reason!?" nor, "Can they talk!?" but rather, "Can they suffer!?" ~Jeremy Bentham

I care not much for a man's religion whose dog and cat are not the better for it!. ~Abraham Lincoln

Hold then the same view of the dog which has lost his master, which has sought him in all the thoroughfares with cries of sorrow, which comes into the house troubled and restless, goes downstairs, goes upstairs; goes from room to room, finds at last in his study the master he loves, and betokens his gladness by soft whimpers, frisks, and caresses!.

There are barbarians who seize this dog, who so greatly surpasses man in fidelity and friendship, and nail him down to a table and dissect him alive, to show you the mesaraic veins! You discover in him all the same organs of feeling as in yourself!. Answer me, mechanist, has Nature arranged all the springs of feeling in this animal to the end that he might not feel!?

The scientific community rejects the idea that animals have higher emotions, those emotions that humans feel!. Throughout history, these feelings are what distinguished man from lower animals!. Today, there are still many trainers who work with animals that will avoid acknowledgment of animal’s feelings and intelligence, fearing persecution!.

Historical arguments that non-human animals possess feelings!.!.!.
--------------------------------------!.!.!.
Moral status of animals in Genesis (1:20-28) by God : Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam!. The Book of Genesis echoed earlier ideas about divine hierarchy, and that God and humankind share traits, such as intellect and a sense of morality, that non-humans do not possess!.

The year 1641 was significant for the idea of animal rights!. The great influence of the century was the French philosopher, René Descartes (1596–1650), whose Meditations was published that year, and whose ideas about animals informed attitudes well into the 21st century!.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau argued in 1754 that animals are part of natural law, and have natural rights, because they are sentient!.
http://en!.wikipedia!.org/wiki/Jean-Jacque!.!.!.

Against Descartes, the British philosopher John Locke (1632–1704) argued, in Some Thoughts Concerning Education in 1693, that animals do have feelings, and that unnecessary cruelty toward them is morally wrong, but — echoing Thomas Aquinas — the right not to be so harmed adhered either to the animal's owner, or to the person who was being harmed by being cruel, not to the animal itself!. Discussing the importance of preventing children from tormenting animals, he wrote: "For the custom of tormenting and killing of beasts will, by degrees, harden their minds even towards men!.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712–1778) argued in Discourse on Inequality in 1754 that animals should be part of natural law, not because they are rational, but because they are sentient!.

The German philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724–1804), following Augustine, Aquinas, and Locke, opposed the idea that human beings have duties toward non-humans!. For Kant, cruelty to animals was wrong solely on the grounds that it was bad for humankind!. He argued in 1785 that human beings have duties only toward other human beings, and that "cruelty to animals is contrary to man's duty to himself, because it deadens in him the feeling of sympathy for their sufferings, and thus a natural tendency that is very useful to morality in relation to other human beings is weakened!.

Peter Singer 1973, first came to believe that, by eating animals, he was engaging in the oppression of other species by his own!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

Id depends on how you define emotions!. I think animals are capable of basic emotoins, but when people try linking human emotions to animals we get in trouble!. Take your male dog for example: when the neighbors female dog goes into heat he will want to have sex with her!. This isn't because he loves her, it's just an instinct telling him to do this!.

A number of animals, like dogs, are thought to have the intelegence of a 4 to 5 year old child!.

BTW: You may want to ask this question in the Arts & Humanities - Philosophy part of Yahoo Answers!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

Of course; animals have emotions!. Studies show that the domestic animals such as cats and dogs have more accurate emotions than livestock and other wildlife!. Cats and dogs can smell fear, be in fear, they want to feel loved!.
All animals want to feel loved, some feel pain, and others are just sad!.
Animals have a wide variety of emotions like us people!.
Www@FoodAQ@Com

Yes, they're very perceptive of human emotion which is why we like to have them as pets!. If they didn't respond to our emotions then we'd be less inclined to want their companionship!.
For example, my cat ALWAYS knows when I'm sad or ill because she comes into my room and sits with or on me until I feel better, which I think is really cute!. She also runs out to greet me when I get home from uni or wherever I've been!. You can see that animals have emotions by looking at their faces!. I think mamals have the most expressive faces!.

Www@FoodAQ@Com

Most animals are far More intelligent than us lesser species of animal,the human!.

Of course they have emotions,why would you think they don't!.!.!.!.DUH!!!!!!!!.

Just because humans torture and kill and eat poor animals,doesn't meant they aren't scared or feel the most dreadful fears!.


Animals at an abattoir for instance,have smelt fear,they know they are Going to die,just as we would!.


Whilst its a very naive question,its a good one!.:)Www@FoodAQ@Com

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwh
what a cute and uplifting story :)
wouldn't they be scared of it, being so big and crash tackling/hugging them though!?:P

i think they do, yes :)
it may sounds weird, but when i look into my bird, noddy's, eyes, its like i can see what hes feeling, and sometimes he's happy, sometimes hes sad!.
of course everyone thinks i'm crazy, "hes just a budgie" but i don't care =]
yep, a lot of animals have special traits no one can explain, and i put it down to intelligence most people don't think they have

nice question btw =DWww@FoodAQ@Com

That was a really sweet video (even with the cheesy music)!. :)

And, of course!. It is not a matter of opinion!. It is undeniable fact!. There is no doubt that non-human animals have emotions!. People tend to forget that humans are animals as well!.!.!.

You should check out some books by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson!. He writes a lot about this topic!. My personal favorite is The Pig Who Sang To The Moon!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

most definatly I adore that video i have seen it a few times and it almost makes me cry, it is sooo sweet and sooo right!.
I lost my kitten (years ago) when he was only 4mths old and we were so sad!.!.!.i saw a cat a year later from the distance and thought 'thats my Joey' and ran upto him- he turned as though he was going to run, then he stopped, look at me and ran to me meowing and jumped into my arms too!.!.!.definatly him he was so happy!. I took him back home and it was as though he had never been away!
Cats always sense things they are highly intellingent ad i think other animals are tooWww@FoodAQ@Com

There is a documentary called Why Dogs Smile and Chimpanzees Cry that is very hard to find for some reason but it examines the emotional lives of animals!. These clips are used on that documentary!.


http://www!.youtube!.com/watch!?v=kZuW7M4Vb!.!.!.
http://www!.youtube!.com/watch!?v=j-admRGFV!.!.!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

I think it depends on the animal!.

I mean, ants are animals and I don't know, but I don't think they really can get happy or sad or angry!.

But I think that cats and dogs can and probably more bigger animals!.

And monkeys definitely can, they're probably the closest to humans in emotion!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

Yes!

A year ago, my cat was eaten by a fox!. My other cat, her brother, was eating less, meowed much more and seemed very sad!. He would go outside sometimes and go really far into the woods, as if he was looking for his sister!. In the house he would wander around meowing, and he wanted to cuddle with people (esp!. me) more!. Poor guy :( It just broke my heart!. He's better now, and we've adopted another little girl cat, whom he ADORES!. They are so cute together!. They lick eachother, play with eachother, and when she was a baby he sort of helped her around the house!. It was adorable!.

Yes, animals can feel emotion!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

yes, of course!.!.

you do have pets right!?


people aren't paying attention if they have to ask!.



OR they don't have pets or live around animals!.

i do believe that animals even WAR and have survival tactics!.!.!. they're also possessional and territorial!.

that ring familiar!?Www@FoodAQ@Com

this is truly the most sweetest video I have ever seen - it brought a tear to the eyes!! I can't stop thinking about it - it warms to cockles of your heart!!

I definitely think they have emotions after watching this - how beautiful!!

Anyone who didn't think this was lovely must be dead inside!!!

I don't want to eat meat any more!Www@FoodAQ@Com

YES!! whoever says they don't are selfish stupid ignorant human beings!. animals are incredibly smart! WE DERIVED FROM THEM!! so if you are saying animals dont have emotions then you're saying we dont! (and when i say your i dont mean you!)

i love the story about christian the lion!. ive seen it 5+ times!. it is so cute! Www@FoodAQ@Com

I rarely watch videos people post- (they are so often bloody and repulsive) and I cannot believe that one made me cry!.

Beautiful!.

(And I would challenge anyone who disputes that animals have emotions to spend an afternoon with a Golden Retriever!.) Www@FoodAQ@Com

yes and they are more in tune with them than other species, what animal other than humans/farmers expolits another for pure greed and profit! incidentally have you seen the evidence from sattelite photos that cows and deer know to sleep/rest due north! Www@FoodAQ@Com

yes, animals have feelings and we're not only talking about lions, cats, dogs or birds!.!.!.pigs, cows, chickens, and even fishes have feelings!. So why are we still eating them!?Www@FoodAQ@Com

I know my dogs do!. You can easily tell what kind of mood they are in!. Pigs have the mental capacity of a 3 year old!. Kids have feelings, why not pigs!?Www@FoodAQ@Com

Of course !.!.!.!. my dogs love me more than anything else in the world, and I them!. When I was will in bed two of my dogs layed with me on the bed and wouldn't eat !.!.!.!.!. that is love!. :)Www@FoodAQ@Com

Of course! Especially domesticated animals - my cats and dogs pick up on negative feelings when someone in my family is mad or upset!. I agree!. all animals feel emotions :) Www@FoodAQ@Com

of course they have emotions, the question then arises do carrots have emotions!? Not so silly if its a nervous system we just have not recognised as yetWww@FoodAQ@Com

Deffo! That is why I am a vegetarian!. I just don't understand people who can squish bugs or eat dead, rotting remains of animals that had a family and friends and not even care!. Www@FoodAQ@Com

It is a studied fact that animals have all the same emotions as we do they feel pain, love, fear etc!.!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

OMG thats soooooooooo cute!.!.!.

who knew a lion could be so loving!

At first I thought that the lion was going to pounce on them! lolWww@FoodAQ@Com

Definitely!! My doggies know EVERYTHING whether i want them to or not LOLWww@FoodAQ@Com

yes they most definitely do have emotions!.!.!. they too have a heart!Www@FoodAQ@Com

Awww!.!. it makes me cry, it's so beautiful!!

And of course, the animals feel like you and me! (:Www@FoodAQ@Com

yes definitely!. my 2 cats always seem to know when something is wrong and come over to give me a cuddle!. Www@FoodAQ@Com

Is that true!?!?!! Wow!.Www@FoodAQ@Com

Wow, that video actually made me cry! That's so lovely :)Www@FoodAQ@Com





The consumer Foods information on foodaq.com is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions.
The answer content post by the user, if contains the copyright content please contact us, we will immediately remove it.
Copyright © 2007 FoodAQ - Terms of Use - Contact us - Privacy Policy

Food's Q&A Resources