Until fairly recently the dominant view among scientists was that non-human animals didn’t manifest real intelligence and certainly didn’t live in dynamic cultures, but, mercifully, those misguided ideas have been entirely demolished in recent years. More and more examples of sophisticated decision making, tool usage, emotional richness and complex social organization in more and more species have come to light (something Indigenous traditions have long held to be self-evident). In this session we will join two major figures in this burgeoning scientific and societal renaissance, one a longtime, world-renowned advocate for animal intelligence; the other a daring, visionary young scientist on the frontlines of research on animal societies, in a discussion about what we know and what we might be able to learn from some extraordinary animals, if we can get beyond our species chauvinism. With: Carl Safina, beloved author of such classics as Beyond Words and Becoming Wild; and groundbreaking whale biologist Shane Gero. Moderated by Kate Golden, science journalist and artist.