Whether the separation between humans and other animals is actually beneficial or detrimental is the main lesson Andre Alexis wants his viewers to learn. He wants to demonstrate whether animals with cognitive understanding would be content or whether they would completely destruct their content lifestyle. This is the main justification for his straightforward experiment, which involved granting fifteen dogs human intelligence and observing how they behaved. From this experiment, he noticed that some dogs were happy with the newly acquired intelligence while others were unhappy with it to the extent that they wished to get back to their original state. For example, Rosie complained about the level of unfairness by having her puppies taken away from her some after they are born, while Atticus enjoyed after managing to come out as a natural leader (Alexis 17-18).
In addition, the author also wants to sensitize human beings that being intelligent is not a guarantor of happiness. According to him, “Perfect understanding between beings is no guarantor of happiness since, at times, tragic moments do arise as well” (Alexis 21). He intends to warn people from coveting the possessions, skills, or talents of others to be happy. They should instead appreciate what they have rather than being unhappy with what life has offered to them. According to Alexis, most dogs were unhappy with their newly acquired intelligence, and dislike the manner in which their perception of the world changed radically, to the extent that they desperately wished to transform back to their old and simple lives which they failed to initially appreciate.
Work Cited
Alexis, André. Fifteen Dogs: A Novel. Coach House Books, 2015.
