Visions Caliban CL

by Dale Peterson and Jane Goodall

Book Overview

Using Shakespeare's play The Tempest and its characters Prospero and Caliban as structural metaphors representing the master-slave relationship between humans and chimpanzees, authors Dale Peterson... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0395537606
• ISBN13: 9780395537602
• Release Date: January 1993
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
• Length: 367 Pages
• Weight: 1.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Uncomfortable truths

This brilliant, understated book exposes a terrible injustice in the United States, corporate medicine's aggressive attempts to undermine the Endangered Species Act and CITES for their personal gain. Like so many embattled exploiters, they have responded to criticism and revelations with mud-slinging campaigns and lies, such as NIMH's estimate that they needed 200-300 chimpanezees a year to continue research vital to human health. At the same time, NIMH had access to more than 100 chimps, and was only able to find uses for 25 of them. Peterson and Goodall have taken the productive path: honesty without invective or confrontation. This has allowed Jane Goodall to accomplish small but significant changes, but they are far too small and far too trivial. It would be nice if Dr. Robert Gallo would agree to be locked into a 5x5x7 cage, with a grate at the bottom so he would not find himself smeared with all his feces, but nothing to protect him from the blowflies his stench would draw. Welcome to medical research, Bobbo. Human beings have a history of declaring those it would exploit to be "lesser creations": Jews, Negros, Indians, Gypsies, the harmless primates we have nearly exterminated. When the "lesser creations" are human, they can speak out to protest, and they are heard. Someone else must speak for the chimpanzees mutilated in research labs, the orangutans brutalized to entertain Las Vegas drunks, the gorillas slaughtered so their children can be confined in zoos. The next time you see *The Tempest,* imagine Caliban turning on Prospero, with his complacent human superiority, and speaking the extraordinary and powerful words of Shylock: "Hath not a beast eyes? Pricked do we not bleed?" Animals are bleeding to make your mascara safe. Read this book, look long at the orphaned chimp huddled in one of the photos, and then look in the mirror.

Uncomfortable truths

This brilliant, understated book exposes a terrible injustice in the United States, corporate medicine's aggressive attempts to undermine the Endangered Species Act and CITES for their personal gain. Like so many embattled exploiters, they have responded to criticism and revelations with mud-slinging campaigns and lies, such as NIMH's estimate that they needed 200-300 chimpanezees a year to continue research vital to human health. At the same time, NIMH had access to more than 100 chimps, and was only able to find uses for 25 of them. Goodall has taken the productive path: honesty without invective or confrontation. This has allowed her to accomplish small but significant changes, but they are far too small and far too trivial. It would be nice if Dr. Robert Gallo would agree to be locked into a 5x5x7 cage, with a grate at the bottom so he would not find himself smeared with all his feces, but nothing to protect him from the blowflies his stench would draw. Welcome to medical research. Human beings have a history of declaring those it would exploit to be "lesser creations": Jews, Negros, Indians, Gypsies, the harmless primates we have nearly exterminated. When the "lesser creations" are human, they can speak out to protest, and they are heard. Someone else must speak for the chimpanzees mutilated in research labs, the orangutans brutalized to entertain Las Vegas drunks, the gorillas slaughtered so their children can be confined in zoos. The next time you see *The Tempest,* imagine Caliban turning on Prospero, with his complacent human superiority, and speaking the extraordinary and powerful words of Shylock: "Hath not a beast eyes? Pricked do we not bleed?" Animals are bleeding to make your mascara safe. Read this book, look long at the orphaned chimp huddled in one of the photos, and then look in the mirror.

A heart-wrenching and powerful book everyone should read

Certainly the most influencial book I've ever read - it led to my pursuing a degree, becoming a vegan, and an animal rights activist. And a better person. The tales of misery endured by these brethren of our are a very difficult read for those who have the capacity to care selflessly about all life, but gives the reader a very genuine sencse of what they suffer at the hands of humans who would do anything to make money and enhance their careers. Visions of Caliban is a very sobering experience, and it's very difficult at points to read beyond a couple of pages, because the reality of what these horribly unfortunate beings is truly sadenning. If everyone read this book, chimpanzee research would come to a very sudden conclusion. Read this Book!

Read this book before its too late.

No more discussion about the abuses of chimpanzees in abstract terms. Peterson goes out to find what specifically happens to specific chimpanzees and tracks their lives usually to their grim end. Dr. Goodall, the world's foremost expert on free chimapanzees contrasts Peterson with her insightful understanding which over thirty years of intimate knowledge of these great apes has given her. Sharing more than 98% of our genes with the chimpanzee and all of the cognitive and emotional similarities that go along with that, we need to rethink how we treat our closest living relative.

Read this book before its too late.

No more discussion about the abuses of chimpanzees in abstract terms. Peterson goes out to find out what specifically happens to specific chimpanzees and tracks their lives usually to their grim end. Dr. Goodall, the world's foremost expert on free chimapanzees contrasts Peterson with her insightful understanding which over thirty years of intimate knowledge of these great apes has given her. Sharing more than 98% of our genes with the chimpanzee and all of the cognitive and emotional similarities that go along with that, we need to rethink how we treat our closest living relative.