HAL HERZOG: SOME WE LOVE. SOME WE HATE. SOME WE EAT

Why is a mouse on the floor a pest, but a mouse in a cute cage a pet? Why is it fine to feed white rats to boa constrictors, but people would shudder and scream if anyone tried to feed kittens to a snake? The way we think about animals defies logic. It’s emotionally complicated and differs dramatically depending on culture. Tonight’s guest is HAL HERZOG, one the world’s leading anthrozoologists, a scientist who studies how humans think about animals. His new book is titled SOME WE LOVE. SOME WE HATE. SOME WE EAT. WHY IT’S SO HARD TO THINK STRAIGHT ABOUT ANIMALS. Tonight we talk about if there are differences between “dog people” and “cat people”; if children who abuse animals grow up to be violent adults; what happens when vegans backslide, and why everyone seems to hate snakes. The answers will surprise you.