Ethics After Darwin

by Roger Abrantes

Ethics Course

Course Description

Ethics is the branch of philosophy that deals with what is right or wrong, good or bad, from a moral perspective. This course is a comprehensive introduction to ethics, focusing on our prevalent moral ideas, pre and post-Darwin. In his ‘The Origin Of Species By Means Of Natural Selection’ (1859), Charles Darwin proposed a theory of evolution that has had a tremendous impact on all science fields. It also forced us to rethink our moral principles if we’re supposed to be consistent. Instead of giving my students a list of moral rules, I chose to take them throughout a journey of investigation of the ideas that lead to our pre-Darwin morality and, then, to construct an ethical system compatible with modern science post-Darwin. The principle of equality and moral individualism is a consequence of Darwinism. 

Edward O. Wilson’s wrote: “Scientists and humanists should consider together the possibility that the time has come for ethics to be removed temporarily from the hands of the philosophers and biologicized” (Wilson, 1975: 27). 

Being a philosopher and an evolutionary biologist, I fully understand Wilson’s suggestion and so I welcome you to this introduction to ethics after Darwin where I will present to you the facts of biology, the perspectives of evolutionary biology, and the rigor of philosophical reasoning.

Course Level

Beginner to Intermediate. This course is an introduction to ethics focussing on our view of non-human animals. It contains essential reflections for anyone keeping or working with animals.

Course Textbook

There is no mandatory textbook for this course as all reading material is included in this online course.

Contents of the course by lesson

        1. Ethics, Morality, Law
          • Definition
          • Ethics and Law
          • Ethics and Religion
        2. Ethics and Science
          • Hume: the Is-Ought problem
          • The Naturalistic Fallacy
        3. Ethics after Darwin
          • Before and after Darwin
          • Darwin on ethics
          • Eastern and Western Morality
        4. Evolutionary Biology and Ethics
          • Lorenz, Ardrey, Morris
          • Wilson: Sociobiology
          • Dawkins: the Selfish Gene and the Meme
        5. The Western Tradition
          • Human Dignity
          • The First Cause and the Big Bang
          • The Algorithm of Evolution: Evidence
        6. Doubting Theism
          • How different are we?
          • The Rational Animal: Rationality, Language, Intelligence
          • A Difference in Degree
        7. The Moral Animal
          • Anthropomorphism and Anthropodimorphism
          • Altruistic Behavior
        8. What Morality Can We Adopt?
          • The Principle of Equality
          • Speciesism
          • Humans: Special Moral Category?
        9. Ethics After Darwin
          • Moral Individualism
          • Ethical Consequences of Darwinism
          • A Word-view Crack Down
Ethics After Darwin Cover

Supplementary Literature

Although not mandatory, we recommend that you supplement your readings with:

Online Studying and Tutoring

Watch the movie(s) and read the book(s). Join the course forum where you can read our tutors’ answers to questions previously posed by your colleagues. If you have a new question, do not hesitate in posting it.

The course forum is solely for academic questions. For administrative matters or difficulties accessing the functionality of the site, please submit a ticket.

Once you’re ready for it, take the quizzes. You may take a quiz as many times as you like. We recommend you re-take quizzes once a year as a self-imposed quality control.

Ecology

by Roger Abrantes

Ecology Course

Course Description

Ecology is a branch of biology studying the interactions among organisms and their environment. In this course, we’ll review: ecosystems hierarchy, biodiversity, habitat, biotope, the environment, niche, niche construction, biome, biosphere, population ecology, migration, food webs, trophic levels, keystone species, and the fauna and flora of Singapore. 

  • Lesson 1: Introduction, history, sub-disciplines.
  • Lesson 2: Ecosystems hierarchy, biodiversity, habitat, biotope.
  • Lesson 3: Energy Budgets: the environment, radiation, heat, temperature, light, photosynthesis, aquatic ecosystems, gravity, pressure, wind, soils.
  • Lesson 4: Niche, niche construction, biome, biosphere, population ecology, migration.
  • Lesson 5: Food webs, trophic levels, keystone species.
  • Lesson 6: The ecology of Singapore, the impacts of dogs on the environment.

Course Level

Beginner/Medium. This course is an introduction to ecology and essential to the understanding of ecosystems and their development.

Course Textbook

There is no mandatory textbook for this course as all material in included in this online course. However, we recommend Odum, E. P.; Barrett, G. W. 2005. Fundamentals of Ecology. Brooks Cole, as primary literature.

 

Book contents

  • Preface. Eugene P. Odum and Gary W. Barrett.
  • 1. The Scope of Ecology.
  • 2. The Ecosystem.
  • 3. Energy in Ecological Systems.
  • 4. Biogeochemical Cycles.
  • 5. Limiting and Regulatory Factors.
  • 6. Population Ecology.
  • 7. Community Ecology.
  • 8. Ecosystem Development.
  • 9. Landscape Ecology.
  • 10. Regional Ecology: Major Ecosystem Types and Biomes.
  • 11. Global Ecology.
  • 12. Statistical Thinking for Students of Ecology.
  • Glossary. References. Index.
Fundamentals Of Ecology

Supplementary Literature

Although not mandatory, we recommend that you supplement your readings with:

Online Studying and Tutoring

Watch the movie(s) and read the book(s). Join the course forum where you can read our tutors’ answers to questions previously posed by your colleagues. If you have a new question, do not hesitate in posting it.

The course forum is solely for academic questions. For administrative matters or difficulties accessing the functionality of the site, please submit a ticket.

Once you’re ready for it, take the quizzes. You may take a quiz as many times as you like. We recommend you re-take quizzes once a year as a self-imposed quality control.

Mi Método de Entrenamiento

by Roger Abrantes

ATMWCourse

Descripción del curso

“Mi método de entrenamiento de animales: la fusión entre etología y conductismo” explica y enseña cómo crear una relación confiable con cualquier animal. Este curso analiza la forma en que interactuamos con nuestros animales, combina lo mejor de la etología y el conductismo, y presenta un enfoque innovador, pero simple y eficiente para comunicarse con un animal. Es una guía para crear relaciones armoniosas, estables y equilibradas.

Nivel de curso

Principiante a avanzado. Este curso es para todos, independientemente del conocimiento o experiencia previamente adquiridos.

Libro del curso

“Animal Training My Way—The Merging of Ethology and Behaviorism”

por Roger Abrantes, Ph.D. en Biología Evolutiva y Etología.

 

Contenido del libro

Capítulo 1 Un enfoque pragmático para el entrenamiento de animales.
Capítulo 2 Creando una relación.
Capítulo 3 Las herramientas de entrenamiento.
Capítulo 4 Entrenando habilidades aplicando la etología y el conductismo.
Capítulo 5 Mantenimiento y fiabilidad del comportamiento.
Capítulo 6 Consideraciones prácticas.
Capítulo 7 Elementos de Etología.
Capítulo 8 Una cuestión de actitud.
Capítulo 9 Mente y corazón.

Este libro está disponible por separado en inglés. Sin embargo, los estudiantes no necesitan adquirirlo ya que el texto completo se presenta aquí a lo largo de las diversas lecciones.

AnimalTrainingMyWayBookCover-384x563

Estudios en línea y tutoría

Mira la(s) película(s) y lea los textos en las diferentes lecciones. Sigue el foro del curso donde puedes leer las respuestas de nuestros tutores (en inglés) a las preguntas planteadas previamente por tus colegas. Si tienes una nueva pregunta, no dudes en publicarla.

El foro del curso es únicamente para preguntas académicas. Para asuntos administrativos o dificultades para acceder a la funcionalidad del sitio, envía un ticket.

Una vez que estés listo para ello, responde los cuestionarios. Puedes completar un cuestionario tantas veces como desees. Te recomendamos que vuelvas a completar los cuestionarios una vez al año como control de calidad auto-impuesto.

Feline Behavior and Misbehavior

by Tutor Team

FelineBehaviorAndMisbehaviorCourse

Course Description

Feline Behavior and Misbehavior is a broad introduction to the study of cat behavior as well as the most common causes of problem behavior and how to solve them. This course focuses on the practical aspects of keeping cats as companion animals. 

Lesson one covers the origin and evolution of the domestic cat and reviews common behaviors such as social and agonistic behavior. Lesson two deals with the most common feline problem behavior that cat owners encounter, causes, and treatment. In lesson three, we review and illustrate with short video clips the most fundamental learning principles and their application in behavior modification (training). Our recommended textbook for this course is Linda Case’s “The Cat: Its Behavior, Nutrition and Health.” You can complete this course without the book, but we strongly recommend it if you wish to gain a fuller insight into all the aspects involving keeping a cat.

Course Level

Beginner/Intermediate. This course is an all-around course about cats, their health and behavior. It’s a course for all interested in cats. For our CAAE students, it gives you the opportunity to learn about one more species and gain new perspectives.

Course Textbook

“The Cat: Its Behavior, Nutrition and Health”

by Linda Case.

The bond that owners have with their cats and the health benefits that are afforded by this bond have been the topic of numerous studies in the past 25 years. This book provides pet owners, undergraduate students and pet professionals with a complete guide to four topical areas that are of interest: the history of the human-cat relationship; behavior of the domestic cat; feline nutrition; and feline health and disease.

Book contents

Part 1 Knowing the Cat Within the Companion

Part 2 Behavior: Understanding the Domestic Cat

Part 3 Health and Disease: Keeping Cats Healthy and Happy

Part 4 Nutrition: Feeding Cats for Health and Longevity

 

“The Cat: Its Behavior, Nutrition and Health” by Linda P. Case.

TheCatLindaCaseCover

Linda Case’s book is this course’s recommended textbook. Its reading is not mandatory to complete the course.

Supplementary Literature

Although not mandatory, we recommend that you supplement your readings with:

Online Studying and Tutoring

Watch the movie(s) and read the book(s). Join the course forum where you can read our tutors’ answers to questions previously posed by your colleagues. If you have a new question, do not hesitate in posting it.

The course forum is solely for academic questions. For administrative matters or difficulties accessing the functionality of the site, please submit a ticket.

Once you’re ready for it, take the quizzes. You may take a quiz as many times as you like. We recommend you re-take quizzes once a year as a self-imposed quality control.

Canine Scent Detection

by Roger Abrantes

Canine Scent Detection

Course Description

Canine Scent Detection, localization of a target scent, is the ultimate display of the cooperation between Homo sapiens sapiens and Canis lupus familiaris. Scent detection stimulates your dog without turning it hyperactive, teaches you and your dog what teamwork genuinely means, and is great fun for both of you. To succeed in canine scent detection, you and your dog need to apply your different skills in conjunction and toward a common, practical goal. One of you alone cannot make it. You create and develop a meaningful relationship with your dog by working together in resolving searching tasks.

This course will enable you to pursue further goals, such as becoming a substance detection team or a SAR unit. You complete the course by passing the double-blind test locating a hidden scent.

This course is a mixed one where theory and practice walk hand in hand. You take the theory online, and once you feel you can do it, you practice with your chosen animal. Read the theory first. Join the course forum on Daybook to pose questions or see posted answers to previous inquiries. While you take the practical part of this course, we will assign you a qualified tutor to guide you, one-on-one, either on-site or by video conferencing.

If you have the possibility, we strongly recommend you enlist in one of the practical workshops Professor Abrantes occasionally gives worldwide. As an EI student registered for this course, you’ll get a 75% discount on any fee asked by the event organizer.

If you’re training Guinea Pigs, follow the same procedures described in this course. Study Guinea pig behavior before beginning your training and readjust your behavior. Pay special attention to the reinforcement and inhibiting techniques required by the species. In lesson four, we give you additional information for the particular case of Guinea pig training.

Course Level

Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced. This course is for everyone. However, your results will depend on the level at which you and your dog are at the beginning of the course. You need not know anything about scent detection—preferably, you don’t—but you and your dog need to know the signals, ‘Name,’ ‘Come,’ ‘Yes,’ ‘No,’ and you must have an efficient semi-conditioned positive reinforcer as ‘dygtig.’* Your dog must be able to accept the presence of other dogs without getting affected—and you need to be able to work with other people, and give and accept critique without falling out.

 

* If you don’t know what we’re talking about, please take (or retake) one of the following courses before Canine Scent Detection:

Introductory Video

This video was shot during a workshop for dog owners. No owners or dogs had any previous experience in scent detection. The results depend on the owner, the dog, and the level at which they are when beginning the course. On average, 70-80% of the teams pass the final double-blind test after only three days of training. Independently of that, all owners and dogs show significant progress at the end of the course.

Course Textbook

“Canine Scent Detection—The Practical Manual”

(Updated and enlarged 2022 edition including the quantum olfaction model)

by Roger Abrantes, Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology and Ethology (instructor of the trainers of the famous “Hero Rats,” detecting landmines and tuberculosis, CNCA instructor for law enforcement officers, GNR special advisor).

 

Book contents

Introduction
STEP 1 – Acquisition of indication behavior.
STEP 2 – Acquisition of target scent.
STEP 3 – Discrimination of target scent.
STEP 4 – Double-blind discrimination of target scent.
STEP 5 – Double-blind detection of hidden target scent.
STEP 6 – Double-blind detection of hidden and masked target scent.
Case Story – Ariel.
Understanding Olfaction
Quantum Olfaction
References and further recommended reading.

Canine Scent Detection Book Cover -384x563

Supplementary Literature

Although not mandatory, we recommend that you supplement your readings with:

Online Studying and Tutoring

Watch the movie(s) and read the book(s). Join the course forum where you can read our tutors’ answers to questions previously posed by your colleagues. If you have a new question, do not hesitate in posting it.

The course forum is solely for academic questions. For administrative matters or difficulties accessing the functionality of the site, please submit a ticket.

Once you’re ready for it, take the quizzes. You may take a quiz as many times as you like. We recommend you re-take quizzes once a year as a self-imposed quality control.

Measuring Behavior

by Roger Abrantes

MeasuringBehaviorCourse

Course Description

Measuring Behavior—Stop “guessing” and start “knowing.” Discover how to predict behavior accurately. Learn how to sample behavior, create and use ethograms, evaluate your results, and present your findings. Study how to measure changes in behavior such as frequency, intensity, duration, number of errors, speed, latency, and fluency.

Course Level

Intermediate/Advanced. Parts of this course are at an advanced level. A mandatory course in the CACE and CAAE curricula.

Course Textbook

“Measuring Behavior”

by Roger Abrantes, Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology and Ethology.

 

Book contents

Chapter 1 Measuring learning.
Chapter 2 Designing a research project.
Chapter 3 Collecting data.
Chapter 4 Questionnaires.
Chapter 5 Analyzing data.
Chapter 6 The chi-squared test.
Chapter 7 Presenting data.

Supplementary Literature

Although not mandatory, we recommend that you supplement your readings with:

Online Studying and Tutoring

Watch the movie(s) and read the book(s). Join the course forum where you can read our tutors’ answers to questions previously posed by your colleagues. If you have a new question, do not hesitate in posting it.

The course forum is solely for academic questions. For administrative matters or difficulties accessing the functionality of the site, please submit a ticket.

Once you’re ready for it, take the quizzes. You may take a quiz as many times as you like. We recommend you re-take quizzes once a year as a self-imposed quality control.

Agonistic Behavior

by Roger Abrantes

AgonisticBehaviorCourse

Course Description

Agonistic Behavior is all forms of aggression, threat, fear, pacifying behavior, fight or flight, arising from confrontations between individuals of the same species. This course gives you the scientific definitions and facts. More than that, it also gives you a critical review of popular interpretations and misinterpretations of these terms, helping you to evaluate information and develop your scientific views.

Agonistic Behavior is one of our most challenging courses addressed to the genuine student of behavioral sciences. Its subject-matter is essential to understand behavior and behavior modification techniques.

Course Level

Intermediate to Advanced. It is a challenging course which requires an active effort from the student. However, you will feel handsomely rewarded by the knowledge and insight, you will have acquired upon completion.

Course Textbook

“Agonistic Behavior—On Aggressive, Fearful, Dominant, Submissive, and Pacifying Behavior”

by Roger Abrantes, Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology and Ethology.

 

In this course, you won’t get the book. Instead, you’ll read texts especially prepared for each lesson.

 

Course content

Lesson One:

  1. The Conundrum of the Behavioral Sciences
  2. Evolutionarily Stable Strategies and Behavior
  3. Ethogram—Social and Agonistic Behavior

Lesson Two

  1. Maternal Behavior
  2. The Origin of Pacifying Behavior
  3. Pacifying Behaviors

Lesson Three

  1. Fearful Behavior
  2. Aggressive Behavior

Lesson Four

  1. Dominant and Submissive Behavior
  2. A Critical Analysis of the Concepts of Dominance and Aggression

Lesson Five

  1. Let Reason Prevail Over Force

 

All lessons contain numerous references for your further studying.

Supplementary Literature

Although not mandatory, we recommend that you supplement your readings with:

Online Studying and Tutoring

Read the texts. Join the course forum where you can read our tutors’ answers to questions previously posed by your colleagues. If you have a new question, do not hesitate in posting it.

The course forum is solely for academic questions. For administrative matters or difficulties accessing the functionality of the site, please submit a ticket.

Once you’re ready for it, take the quizzes. You may take a quiz as many times as you like. We recommend you re-take quizzes once a year as a self-imposed quality control.

Applied Animal Learning

by Roger Abrantes

SMAFCourse

Course Description

SMAF is a tool to help us in applying learning theory to practical behavior modification.  SMAF is a language to describe learning with all its components. Its objective is to enable us to plan our action with the highest possible degree of precision and to analyze the expected and observed results. Some parts of this course are just above beginner level, supplementing animal learning theory—others are for the advanced student of behavioral sciences. The SMAF part in itself will require more effort from you. You should, preferably, have taken Animal Learning before you take SMAF.

In the first two lessons, we give you an introduction to SMAF. In the second lesson, you’ll watch movies showing all the necessary steps to teach a dog the skills “Sit” and “Down” with the highest possible precision. Professor Abrantes shows and explains how to describe all the learning tools we need, one at the time. In the third lesson, you’ll read the SMAF manual with detailed descriptions and examples.

Join the course forum. We have moved the SMAF Team group from Facebook to the forum in our website. It is now the place to meet your peers interested in SMAF, exchanging ideas and POAs (Plans of Action).

Course Level

Advanced. This course is for the advanced student of behavioral sciences and for the animal trainer who wants to achieve maximum precision.

Course Textbook

“Mission SMAF—Bringing Scientific Precision Into Animal Training”

by Roger Abrantes, Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology and Ethology.

 

SMAF is a revolutionary approach to describe learning processes with the same high precision you write musical notation or a computer program. We dare say it is much ahead of its time. This book, which we call, “The SMAF Manual,” gives you all the rules to enable you to go ahead right away writing your own training plans of action.

 

Book contents

Foreword.
Chapter 1 Introduction.
Chapter 2 The Morphology and Syntax of SMAF.
Chapter 3 Examples of POA.
Chapter 4 Quick Guide to designing a POA in SMAF.

Online Studying and Tutoring

Watch the movie(s) and read the book(s). Join the course forum where you can read our tutors’ answers to questions previously posed by your colleagues. If you have a new question, do not hesitate in posting it.

The course forum is solely for academic questions. For administrative matters or difficulties accessing the functionality of the site, please submit a ticket.

Once you’re ready for it, take the quizzes. You may take a quiz as many times as you like. We recommend you re-take quizzes once a year as a self-imposed quality control.

Animal Learning

by Roger Abrantes

Animal Learning

Course Description

Animal learning is the science that studies how animals learn the various behaviors they display. We review all the fundamental principles of learning that you need to master for training animals or to implement behavior modification. Animal Learning is a course based on scientific evidence and research and independent of political agendas or trends. It is indispensable for animal trainers and instructors.

In lesson one, we deal with motivation; lesson two reviews classical and operant conditioning; lesson three goes into detail with learning, signals, discrimination, generalization, stimulus control, and much more.

Course Level

Intermediate to advanced. It is an essential course for an animal trainer. Some of the content is at an advanced level and may require an extra effort on your part. Join the course forum and pose any question you may have. Your tutors will answer you. You should, preferably, have taken Evolution and Anatomy and Physiology before you take Animal Learning.

Course Textbook

“Animal Learning”

by Roger Abrantes, Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology and Ethology.

 

Book contents

Chapter 1 Learning.
Chapter 2 Signals.
Chapter 3 Discrimination, generalization, and stimulus control.
Chapter 4 Increasing and decreasing behavior.
Chapter 5 Reinforcement schedules.
Chapter 6 Advanced operant procedures.
Chapter 7 Plan of action.

Supplementary Literature

Although not mandatory, we recommend that you supplement your readings with:

Online Studying and Tutoring

Watch the movie(s) and read the book(s). Join the course forum where you can read our tutors’ answers to questions previously posed by your colleagues. If you have a new question, do not hesitate in posting it.

The course forum is solely for academic questions. For administrative matters or difficulties accessing the functionality of the site, please submit a ticket.

Once you’re ready for it, take the quizzes. You may take a quiz as many times as you like. We recommend you re-take quizzes once a year as a self-imposed quality control.

Supplementary Literature

Although not mandatory, we recommend that you supplement your readings with:

Ethology

by Roger Abrantes

Ethology Course

Course Description

Ethology is the study of animal behavior in its natural environment. This is one of the most important and fundamental courses in your curriculum. Without a reliable knowledge about animal behavior, we can’t expect to create a gratifying relationship with our pets or the animals we train. Some of this course’s content is at an advanced level and requires increased dedication on your part. The course’s final test focuses on the most important points—so don’t worry if a few questions seem harder to understand. You will appreciate them better once you continue your studies. You should, preferably, have taken Evolution before you enroll in ethology.

This course has ten lessons. They follow the chapters in the textbook (see below).

 

Watch the movie “Animal Behavior Crash Course” by Hank Green. The movie is an appetizer and an introduction to the current course, to give you a general idea of animal behavior. We will review the terms, concepts, and much more in detail in this course’s ten lessons.

For the present purpose, watch the movie and enjoy embarking on this journey into the discovery of animal behavior.

 

 

Course Level

Intermediate to advanced.

Course Textbook

“Ethology—the study of animal behavior in the natural environment”

by Roger Abrantes, Ph.D. in Evolutionary Biology and Ethology.

 

Roger Abrantes wrote “Ethology—the study of animal behavior in the natural environment” for his students as their primary textbook on this all-important topic. The book is a must for everyone seriously interested in understanding animal behavior—and the best possible introduction to this fascinating subject matter. You can take this course as part of a program granting a diploma or as a single course.

Ethology” is an appealing and beautifully illustrated book. It addresses its questions to the point with sound, scientific explanations. It is not cluttered with footnotes. The author chose to keep all references to an extensive list at the end of the book. You read it as fluently as a novel—its narrative is compelling. The online version, which you get when you enroll in this course, has the advantage of giving you all updates at no extra course. Once you enroll in this course, you can return anytime you like, re-read the book or check the updates. If you like, you can also attempt to achieve a better test score.

 

Book contents (the lessons in this course correspond to the chapters in the book)

Chapter 1 Ethology—history and principles.
Chapter 2 Genetics and behavior.
Chapter 3 Evolutionary strategies.
Chapter 4 Sexual behavior.
Chapter 5 Instinct and learning.
Chapter 6 Communication.
Chapter 7 Social behavior.
Chapter 8 Agonistic behavior.
Chapter 9 Animal economics and intelligence.
Chapter 10 Evolutionary perspectives.

We give you the book in a beautiful flip-page format in lesson 10 for your convenience and enjoyment. The book is an optional choice. Please note that the book contains some extra text and illustrations not transcribed in this course’s various lessons and chapters. You need not read the book to complete your course, though you may want to read it to get the additional material and enjoy the beautiful classic book format we have created.

Supplementary Literature

Although not mandatory, we recommend that you supplement your readings with:

Online Studying and Tutoring

Watch the movie(s) and read the book(s). Join the course forum where you can read our tutors’ answers to questions previously posed by your colleagues. If you have a new question, do not hesitate in posting it.

The course forum is solely for academic questions. For administrative matters or difficulties accessing the functionality of the site, please submit a ticket.

Once you’re ready for it, take the quizzes. You may take a quiz as many times as you like. We recommend you re-take quizzes once a year as a self-imposed quality control.

Ethology Institute