L'età dell'empatia

Our Animal Nature: A Glass Half-full Approach This book is primarily a detailed exploration of animal emotions (such as empathy) and on how they stunningly correspond to the human. Two main threads of thought emerge from this correspondence: 1. The need to recognize animals as much closer to us and to Leggi tutto

You've got to love a book about primates that has chapter headings with quotes by Adam Smith and Immanuel Kant. And that's why this book is so exceptional, it makes you reconsider what is so special about our species in the first place and whether the Western concept of human exceptionalism is even

Every once in a while, when your heart is heavy with all the fighting and hatred and envy and competition and the nastiness of your fellow humans, it is good to read about the kindness of other animals (besides man). Yes, there is plenty of cruelty in nature but there is also cooperation, compassion Leggi tutto

Reading this book constantly reminded me of our arrogance to consider that animals are not conscious, feeling beings. The author, a primatologist, does a great job recounting decades of animal research to back up his claim that both humans and our related animal cousins have a long history of commun Leggi tutto

This is the second book by Frans de Waal that I read, and I like his work so much that he is fast becoming one of my favorite non fiction writer. He is very good at writing about animals, and the research that is being done into their behavior, a subject that I’m quite interested in. He does it with Leggi tutto

I read this for our "science book club" meeting, and we all agreed that this book was not up to snuff. It was like they sat the author down in a comfy chair and said "Just start talking, we'll put your ramblings together into a book." There was not structure or framework to the book -- no overriding Leggi tutto

Ouf, contente de l'avoir terminé celui-là. Comment prendre un sujet fascinant et en faire un livre parfois indigeste? De Waal réussit plutôt bien le défi ici. Ce n'est pas ma première escarmouche avec le style de Frans De Waal : j'ai lu il y a quelque temps son livre Are We Smart Enough to Know How S Leggi tutto

Many years ago I became interested in the biological and evolutionary basis for morality and how altruism could be consistent with Dawkins' idea of the selfish gene. The two ideas that everybody offered up back then were reciprocal altruism where I do something for you in the hope that you will do s Leggi tutto