Chimpanzee Post Humanism

Paper Summary:

The paper uses Fouts' "Next of Kin" and Fudge's "Animal" as a window to the issues surrounding a postmodern attitude towards animals. It uses the technical vocabulary of cultural criticism to discuss animal language and communication as well as animal testing and the unique relationship between human and animal. It also raises questions about the real difference between humans and animals, and how we represent that difference.

From the Paper:

"Next of Kin is a record of the experiences of Roger Fouts in his interactions with chimpanzees and, more importantly, in his participation in a chimpanzee language experiment. In Animal, Fudge discusses many cases of chimpanzee language research, with particular interest in what it tells us about humanism, and of course, by implication, posthumanism. Reading Next of Kin in the light of Animal, it is possible to follow Fudge's ideas, and extend them to make a more specific and in-depth analysis. Fudge comments that pets are 'both like us and not like us' . It is this paradox that has presented problems for how people view pets throughout history. "

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