ReadingGroup2017-8

The topics of the four books we read this year included rare species, the connection between access to water and well-being, and animal intelligence.

The Kingdom of Rarities by Eric Dinerstein asked the question, “Why are some animals naturally rare and others so abundant? Dinerstein traveled the world to find and study some of these rare species, and learned that many of them play critical roles in the well-being of the ecosystems in which they exist, despite their rarity.

Wallace J. Nichols wrote Blue Mind: The Surprising Science That Shows How Being Near, In, On, or Under Water Can Make You Happier, Healthier, More Connected, and Better at What You Do

to promote his thesis that proximity to water can dramatically improve one’s quality of life. Nichols also started the “Blue Marbles Project” which encourages people to share transparent blue marbles that, when held at arm’s length, look about the size that Earth would appear to someone standing on the moon. His goal is to raise awareness of how small, fragile, and beautiful our planet is. The marble also reminds us that we humans hold the future of the world in our hands, and must assume responsibility for its well-being.

In our next two readings, we delved into the topic of animal intelligence. Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? by Frans De Waal and What a Fish Knows: The Inner Lives of Our Underwater Cousins by Jonathan Balcombe both contained studies and observations that contradicted any illusions we might have had that humans are the only species that can think, plan, suffer, use tools, love their young, and have compassion. Both books addressed the concept that intelligence is directly related to the habitat and lifestyle of the organism: only a lion has the intelligence it takes to live the life a lion, and only a fish knows how to exist as it does in its water world. We have all heard stories of chimpanzees solving problems or elephants greeting long-lost friends, but most of us were quite surprised to learn that fish, also, have complex lives. They, too use tools, court the opposite sex, care for their young, and are emotional, intelligent, and conscious beings. Both of these books gave us abundant food for thought, and generated spirited discussions during our meetings.

Anyone who is interested in Fresh Pond and is willing to commit to an annual reading list of 4 or 5 books about natural history are welcome to become Reading Group members. The group gathers for a potluck supper before each discussion. At the end of the meeting we all look over a list of recommended books and their descriptions; then we vote to choose the next reading selection and the next date. If you are interested in joining, please contact Lance Drane at fp.reading@yahoo.com

Lance Drane, Moderator

December 20 2017