Animals can be self-aware, and Jeremy Rifkin explains why

• Main Claim #1: Rifkin believes that the study of animals and animal behavior is being dwarfed by other scientific "breakthroughs in biotechnology, nanotechnology and more esoteric questions like the age of our universe" [Paragraph 1].
• Paragraphs 1 and 2 imply that the study of animals does not receive the tons of media attention it deserves, and that said media attention is shifted towards other fields of science.

• Main Claim #2: There are some rather stunning discoveries made by animal researchers regarding animal behavior.
• Paragraphs 3 thru 8 in particular are evidence this claim. They highlight particular scientific discoveries such as Koko the signing gorilla, the German pig-rubbing-slash-loving pig farmers, and the sudden increase in funding to researchers studying animal behavioral states by fast food industries.

• Main Claim #3: Scientists are discovering that animals can display traits that only humans were thought to possess.
• Yay, more scientific evidence. Paragraphs 10 thru 14 highlight that animals can be self-aware. "Some philosophers and animal behaviorists have long argued that other animals are not capabhbe of self-awareness because they lack a sense of individualism. Not so, according to new studies." [Paragraph 10] Rifkin highlights some of these new studies. Some include, elephants standing by towards their dead kin, which is thought to be a sign of grief; and rats releasing dopamine in the brain, which is thought to be a sign of joy and pleasure.
• Strategies: Rifkin provides a large amount of evidence throughout his piece; making him and his claims believable. In a way, the use of this evidence also generates some ethos.

     Rifkin primarily used findings in other people's research as evidence, but I can argue that he used reasoning, illustrations and analogies as further evidence; particularly shown in paragraphs 15 thru 17, Rifkin makes readers depict "thousands of animals subjected each year to painful laboratory experiments," [Paragraph 15] and opens the reader's mind to "expanding and deepening our empathy to to include the broader community of creatures with whom we share the Earth." [Paragraph 17]

     I believe that Rifkin was effective in proving that animal studies are interesting and deserve much more media attention, if that was his whole point in writing A Change of Heart about Animals. But his opening and closing paragraphs seem to allude to that.