A spellbinding look at the philosophical and moral implications of animal dreaming

Are humans the only dreamers on Earth? What goes on in the minds of animals when they sleep? When Animals Dream brings together behavioral and neuroscientific research on animal sleep with philosophical theories of dreaming. It shows that dreams provide an invaluable window into the cognitive and emotional lives of nonhuman animals, giving us access to a seemingly inaccessible realm of animal experience.

David Pena-Guzman uncovers evidence of animal dreaming throughout the scientific literature, suggesting that many animals run "reality simulations" while asleep, with a dream-ego moving through a dynamic and coherent dreamscape. He builds a convincing case for animals as conscious beings and examines the thorny scientific, philosophical, and ethical questions it raises. Once we accept that animals dream, we incur a host of moral obligations and have no choice but to rethink our views about who animals are and the interior lives they lead.

A mesmerizing journey into the otherworldly domain of nonhuman consciousness, When Animals Dream carries profound implications for contemporary debates about animal cognition, animal ethics, and animal rights, challenging us to regard animals as beings who matter, and for whom things matter.

About the Author
David M. Pena-Guzman is associate professor of humanities at San Francisco State University. He specializes in animal studies, theories of consciousness, the history and philosophy of science, and contemporary European philosophy. He is coauthor of Chimpanzee Rights: The Philosophers' Brief and cohost of the popular Overthink podcast.

Reviews
"Winner of the PROSE Award in Philosophy, Association of American Publishers"
"I can recommend [this book] to anyone who cares about animals."---Barbara J. King, Times Literary Supplement
"An intellectual tour de force . . . . this book will change minds."---Simon Ings, New Scientist
"[An] intriguing book. . . . Scientists have always speculated about the inner worlds of animals; Pena-Guzman offers a novel, and poetic, way in."---Camille Bromley, The Atlantic
"Amiable, lucid, and concise. . . . Pena-Guzman addresses his own conjectures with a winning frankness."---Laura Miller, Slate
"When Animals Dream is a fascinating, challenging, and thought-provoking book that gives human exceptionalism a philosophically-grounded middle finger."---Leon Vlieger, Inquisitive Biologist
"Recommended."---J.A. Mather, Choice
"Thought-provoking. . . .Fluid, nicely-paced read, with a lovely mixture of anecdote, analysis and speculation."---Jonathan Shock, Mathemafrica



Book Information
ISBN 9780691227061
Author David M. Pena-Guzman
Format Paperback
Page Count 280
Imprint Princeton University Press
Publisher Princeton University Press