Marc Bekoff (born September 6, 1945 in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, NY) is an American biologist,
ethologist
Ethology is the scientific study of animal behaviour, usually with a focus on behaviour under natural conditions, and viewing behaviour as an evolutionarily adaptive trait. Behaviourism as a term also describes the scientific and objectiv ...
,
behavioural ecologist and writer. He was a professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the
University of Colorado Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University of Colorado sy ...
for 32 years. He cofounded the Jane Goodall Institute of Ethologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, and he is Professor Emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Education and academic career
Bekoff earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Washington University in 1967, a Master of Arts from Hofstra University in 1968, and a Ph.D. in Animal Behavior from Washington University in 1972. After completing his Ph.D., he became an assistant professor of biology at
University of Missouri–St. Louis
The University of Missouri–St. Louis (UMSL) is a public research university in St. Louis, Missouri. Established in 1963, it is one of four universities in the University of Missouri System and its newest. Located on the former grounds of Belle ...
in 1973 through 1974. He went on to work at the
University of Colorado Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University of Colorado sy ...
as the professor of organismic biology where he pursues research into ethology, animal behavior, behavioral ecology, development and evolution of behavior, social communication and organization, animal protection, cognitive ethology, animal cognition. Bekoff retired from his active professorship after 32 years and currently holds the position of Professor Emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado Boulder. During his tenure at University of Colorado Boulder Bekoff has authored or co-authored at least 172 papers.
Writing career
After gaining his Ph.D. he began publishing articles and books on animal behavior and cognition. Bekoff authored, co-authored, or edited thousands of articles and over 30 books and encyclopedias. His articles have been published in
Psychology Today
''Psychology Today'' is an American media organization with a focus on psychology and human behavior. It began as a bimonthly magazine, which first appeared in 1967. The ''Psychology Today'' website features therapy and health professionals direc ...
,
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
,
National Geographic
''National Geographic'' (formerly the ''National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as NAT GEO) is a popular American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. Known for its photojournalism, it is one of the most widel ...
,
Live Science
Live Science is a science news website run by Future via Purch, which it purchased from Imaginova in 2009. Stories and editorial commentary are typically syndicated to major news outlets, such as Yahoo!, MSNBC, AOL, and Fox News.{{fact, date=Marc ...
, and several more. Bekoff's books and articles try to prove that non-human animals exhibit thought processes similar to humans as well as emotions that could be compared to human emotions such as grief, fear, love, and compassion. Bekoff argues that non-human animals are extremely smart and demonstrate emotional and moral intelligences. He also has written about the grieving rituals of several different species and has recently written articles expressing his belief that non-human animals have spiritual experiences. His writings challenge his readers to rethink their relationship and responsibilities toward their fellow animals.
Activism and outreach
Bekoff is an activist that embodies non-aggressive means. His activism follows the idea that responsible assertiveness wins out over aggression any day. Since 2001, while working with
Roots & Shoots, an organization founded by
Jane Goodall
Dame Jane Morris Goodall (; born Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall on 3 April 1934), formerly Baroness Jane van Lawick-Goodall, is an English primatologist and anthropologist. Seen as the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees, Goodall is best kn ...
, Bekoff has visited Boulder County Jail once a week to teach a class about animal behavior to the inmates in the jail's program for educational and life skills where he often shows movies about animal behavior and conservation. His main message is, "We should be proud to be animals, and we have so much to learn from the behavior of other animals."
Bekoff serves on the Science Advisory Board of Project Coyote which is a national non-profit organization promoting compassionate conservation and coexistence between people and wildlife through education, science, and advocacy. He is an advocate for the
compassionate conservation
Compassionate conservation is a discipline which aims to combine the fields of conservation and animal welfare. Historically, these two fields have been considered separate and sometimes contradictory to each other. The foundational principles of ...
movement which is also supported by Project Coyote. Bekoff and Goodall announced the formation of Ethologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (EETA) in Volume 3, 2000 issue of Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science with its purpose being the development and maintenance of the highest ethical standards in ethological research with a focus on
Cognitive ethology and
animal sentience
Animal consciousness, or animal awareness, is the quality or state of self-awareness within a non-human animal, or of being aware of an external object or something within itself. In humans, consciousness has been defined as: sentience, awaren ...
. He lectures internationally on animal behavior, cognitive ethology, and
behavioral ecology
Behavioral ecology, also spelled behavioural ecology, is the study of the evolutionary basis for ethology, animal behavior due to ecology, ecological pressures. Behavioral ecology emerged from ethology after Niko Tinbergen outlined Tinbergen's f ...
, and writes a science column about animal emotion for ''Psychology Today''.
Bekoff is a
vegan
Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. ...
. He is also a patron of the
Captive Animals Protection Society
Freedom for Animals (FFA) is the working name of the Captive Animals' Protection Society, a charity registered in England campaigning to end the display of animals in zoos, and the use of animals in entertainment, such as circuses, the exotic ...
. In May 2010, he argued in an article for the
Greater Good Science Center, "Expanding Our Compassionate Footprint," that human beings need to abandon
human exceptionalism: "Research on animal morality is blossoming, and if we can break free of theoretical prejudices, we may come to better understand ourselves and the other animals with whom we share this planet."
Selected awards
* ''The Exemplar Award'' (2000) from the Animal Behavior Society
* ''Animal Behavior Society Fellowship'' (1995)
* ''Guggenheim Fellowship'' (1980)
* ''The Bank One Faculty Community Service Award'' (2005)
* ''St. Francis of Assisi Award'' by the New Zealand SPCA (2009)
* ''Honorary member, Animalisti Italiani''
* ''Honorary member, Fundacion Altarriba''
* ''Honorary board member, Rational Animal''
Bibliography
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References
External links
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Ethologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals / Citizens for Responsible Animal Behavior StudiesBlogat ''Psychology Today''
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See also
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List of animal rights advocates
Advocates of animal rights support the philosophy of animal rights. They believe that many or all sentient animals have moral worth that is independent of their utility for humans, and that their most basic interests—such as in avoiding suffe ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bekoff, Marc
1945 births
Living people
20th-century American biologists
21st-century American biologists
American columnists
American ecologists
Animal cognition writers
Animal ethicists
Animal welfare scholars
Ethologists
Hofstra University alumni
Scientists from Brooklyn
University of Colorado Boulder faculty
Washington University in St. Louis alumni
20th-century American male writers
21st-century American male writers
American science writers
American veganism activists