In his review of Mama’s Last Hug by Frans de Waal (The Critics, 1 March), Mark Cocker writes that the author accuses Western society of having been guilty of “emotional exceptionalism” since the 17th century, when Descartes concluded that animals were “automata devoid of reason or feeling”.
Sadly, many still revere this so-called philosopher. Philosophy should be about thinking carefully about issues and then forming a moral judgement as to whether certain actions are ethical. Descartes fails dismally. One doesn’t need to be a scientist to realise that other animals have emotions.
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