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Is life better as a dog? A philosopher investigates

What is it like to be a dog? And what can we learn from them? Mark Rowlands's take, in his book The Happiness of Dogs, is full of insights, finds Abigail Beall

By Abigail Beall

11 September 2024

Dog in a Car Window and enjoy road trip; Shutterstock ID 95883655; purchase_order: -; job: -; client: -; other: -

Unlike humans, dogs may know what they know through living rather than through thinking

Shutterstock/Tom Wang

The Happiness of Dogs
Mark Rowlands (Granta Books)

Do you spend a large chunk of your day looking at your dog, asking questions like “what do you think he is thinking right now?” Or “does she understand how much I love her?” If that sounds familiar, then a new book by philosopher Mark Rowlands may be just the thing.

The Happiness of Dogs: Why the unexamined life is most worth living is a fascinating take on what it is like to live like a …

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