We Are Not Alone

What can be more fascinating than the discovery that animals have intelligence that transcends instinct?  Intelligence that if proven declares to the world that our cohabitants on this planet have actual minds not just automatic organs called brains.  That they are conscious creatures that have emotions, exhibit behavior with a sense of right and wrong, can solve complex problems thought to be the sole domain of primates, and can communicate using human language.  Irene Pepperberg takes on this fascinating challenge with the narration of her thirty-year life with the African Grey Parrot named ALEX for the Avian Language Experiment.   Her book, "Alex and Me", written in the years after the untimely death of Alex, provides a brief glimpse into that thirty-year life - a biography of both their lives together and some of the science they conducted.  Unfortunately, this book is not sufficient to explain the scientific precision that Pepperberg used during the training and experiments that were conducted with Alex.  It is also not sufficient to probe the depths of her thirty-year obsession to prove Alex, African Greys, and the greater animal kingdom are more like us than we have ever considered.  It is sufficient to introduce her work, establish Alex in the zoological vernacular, and provide a platform to raise further funding for the Alex Foundation to ensure future studies continue with these amazing birds.  Alas it is a superficial treatment of the subject and therefore does not deal with the philosophical implications of these discoveries.  These birds have perhaps the intelligence of a 3- to 4-year-old child -- what does that mean?  Those of us who love animals, have grown up with animals, and can already communicate with our house pets have always recognized that there is more to their existence than what has been literally interpreted for us by our western philosophy, that humans are somehow unique.  Does proving the fact that we are not unique change anything?  The book is full of implications that it does, yet it never establishes why, after all this scientific research, that we should do anything other than spend more time with our pets -- particularly if we own an African Grey -- but that is probably a sufficient purpose.  The book is short and not particularly well written but the anecdotes about Alex prove interesting enough to continue through to the end -- and it certainly compels one to seek more information about this research -- it does not, however, prove to anyone other than those who already know, that "we" are not alone.

Original Post on Amazon

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