沒有一個人類社會或個人完全脫離所有動物。動物作為長期伴隨於人類生活圈內的一個要角，以各種不同的方式影響著人們的生活、社會、語言、宗教與認知。但不同的動物受到人們的對待卻截然不同，何以貓狗會成為毛小孩被當成主子貢起侍奉；豬牛羊卻成為餐廳的佳餚？本文將從認知社會學（Cognitive Sociology）的角度切入研究台灣社會對於動物的分類方式。檢視台灣社會因著社會脈絡所建構的動物分類方式本質化的狀態。並理解社會中出現不同認知方式的原因，藉由認知社會學的獨特視角說明個人的認知方式是由社會所灌輸的，動物所用有的象徵意義也是由社會建構的，而對於動物的分類、意義也是會改變的。
第五章的主角豬對於台灣社會影響巨大，台灣養豬的歷史約有四百年之久，在經濟方面豬肉的年產值為所有農業產值之冠，在很長一段時間豬肉都是台灣所有肉品中消費量最多的肉類，在文化方面閩南語中與豬相關詞彙、歇後語、俗諺等用語多達數百條，宗教方面也有以豬為主角的活動賽神豬，在近年口蹄疫、非洲豬瘟、萊豬進口等事件對於我國的豬肉產業也有影響，透過研究觀察豬在祭祀活動中神聖性的建構過程、在安全疑慮中被論述為骯髒或是乾淨肉品的理由。
第六章的石虎則是在很短的時間內成為環保團體的寵兒，透過觀察可以看到石虎的「可愛」被建構的過程中政府、民間的多種手段，也由於石虎「可愛」有利於推動環保，被逐漸賦予環保的象徵意義，成為推動環保的一大利器，包含兩個縣市通過石虎保育自治條例與推行友善石虎農作標章等例子都說明了石虎的「可愛」如何影響社會對於環境保護推動的意願。
No human society or individual is completely free from all animals. Animals, for a long time, has been an important part of human life, affecting people's life, society, language, religion and cognition in various ways. However, different animals are treated differently by people. Why do cats and dogs become furry child? Pigs, cattle, and sheep, on the other hand, become delicacies in restaurants?
The thesis aims to research the classification of animals in Taiwanese society from the perspective of Cognitive Sociology and how the classification changes. By observing social phenomena, the thesis studies the construction of symbolic meanings of animals in Taiwanese society. Different symbolic meanings affect people's cognition and thus different attitudes towards different species. The cognitive methods constructed by society are variable; the same animals may be given different meanings and treated with different attitudes in different times, spaces and situations. The thesis selects three species from Taiwanese society as examples to examine these processes.
In the fourth chapter, it is explained how the "danger" of pit bulls is gradually constructed; How did the once-loved “American dog” so popular in the United States ended up being banned in many countries around the world, including Taiwan. Pit bull is the first single dog breed to be banned in Taiwan. Due to the fear of "danger", very drastic legislation was adopted for pit bulls, hoping to isolate pit bulls from society.
Pig, the protagonist in Chapter 5, has a huge impact on Taiwanese society. In terms of economy, the annual output value of pork is the highest of all agricultural production values in Taiwan. For a long time, pork has been the most consumed meat of all meat products in Taiwan. In terms of culture, there are hundreds of words, expressions, and proverbs in Hokkien related to pigs. In terms of religion, there is this celebration called “sai shen zhu （Racing God Pig）". In recent years, incidents such as foot-and-mouth disease, African swine fever, and imported pork with Ractopamine have also affected the pork industry in Taiwan. Through research, we observe the construction process of the sanctity of pigs in sacrificial activities, and the reasons why they are discussed as dirty or clean meat in safety concerns.
The leopard cat in chapter 6 became the darling of environmental protection groups in a very short period of time. Through observation, we can see the "cuteness" of the leopard cat was constructed through various means by the government and private sectors. Due to its "cuteness," which is conducive to the promotion of environmental protection, it has gradually been given the symbolic meaning of environmental protection and has become a major tool for promoting environmental protection. The adoption of the Leopard cat Conservation and Self-government Regulations by two counties and the implementation of the Friendly leopard cat Farming Label all illustrate how the leopard cat’s “cuteness” influence society's willingness to promote environmental protection.
