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Title: The Naked Ape : A Zoologist's Study of the Human Animal by Desmond Morris ISBN: 0-385-33430-3 Publisher: Delta Pub. Date: 13 April, 1999 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.57 (37 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: A modern classic that holds up well
Comment: I have fond memories of this book. It was first published in 1967 and I read it pretty young; I'd have to reckon it among the more powerful influences of my youth. Controversial or not, there's something profoundly liberating about stepping back and looking at humankind as one species among others.
And actually, it's still a darned good book. As Stephen Gaskin remarks somewhere in _This Season's People_, human beings are so intelligent and conscious that it's a matter of controversy whether we're the lowest of the angels or the highest of the primates. Well, the controversy hasn't dissipated since this book was written, but it's still every bit as important for us to recognize and accept the reality of our animal nature.
For we _do_ have such a nature, no matter what view of evolution and/or creation we buy into. Evolutionary anthropologist Desmond Morris tends to treat us as though we have _only_ such a nature, as though our being an advanced ape is automatically at odds with our also being a fallen angel. That may or may not be true; I have my opinions on the subject, and you probably have yours.
But we don't need to settle that issue in order to find this book immensely valuable. The most solid evidence we have continues to confirm that we have a close genetic kinship with the other primates and that, biologically, we are best treated as primates ourselves. Whatever else may be true of us, this much is about as close as anything in science ever comes to fully established fact.
We can disagree about the precise mechanisms of evolution as much as we like; we can disagree about how much of our nature is really accounted for by this or that theory of evolution; but the one fact we can't get around on _any_ account is that as a matter of biology, we _are_ naked apes. We may be more than animals, but we are not less.
That's what makes Morris's account so valuable. There just isn't a lot of question that our evolutionary history has shaped us to a very great degree, and Morris is awfully good at explaining how and why this is so. There may be details in need of modification -- after all, evolutionary theory hasn't stood still for the past thirty-five years and some of Morris's own theories were far from universal even then -- but the overall structure is sound.
It's no surprise, of course, that this book was so controversial when it was first published; I'm not sure it would be all that much less controversial if it were published for the first time today. But boy, if you want to get a clear sense of what it _means_ for human beings to be primates, this is a great place to acquire it.
And contrary to what your initial intuition may be, it _especially_ belongs on the reading list of folks who think human beings have a spiritual side too. Nobody ever made much spiritual advance by denying the hard facts of his or her biological nature and pretending to be a disembodied spirit.
Rating: 5
Summary: Classic that changed how we think about man
Comment: The Naked Ape is Desmond Morris' controversial best-selling book that studies human beings not as exalted creationary exceptions, but rather as creatures very much beholden to our evolutionary primate origins.
Morris, a brilliant zoologist with expertise in the field of primates (amongst other things), uses his profound academic and professional knowledge about primates to shed light on the human experience. Backed with an enormous quantity of scientific evidence, Morris explains the what, why and how of human behavior by stripping away man's "civilized veneer" and examining the animalistic and evolutionary origins of our behavior.
Morris walks us through the evidence in a logical and interconnected fashion. His chapters are organized thematically and begin with the "basics" of human behavior (sex, child rearing) and then move through the more complex and higher order behaviors (fighting, communication). Throughout these chapters, Morris uses a wide breadth of biological, psychological, sociological and zoological evidence to demonstrate the connection between man and our animal cousins.
Though an academic, Morris writes in a simple and direct manner that is accessible to all. The book is jargon-free and has no footnotes, though Morris does provide helpful lists of related readings at the end the book.
This book was first published in 1967 and its no-nonsense view of humanity's animalistic origins caused quite a stir. Even though more than 30 years have passed since its publication, this book remains thought-provoking and enlightening throughout. Due to the book's age, several of Morris' theories have been updated and refined over the years. Therefore, this book should not be read as an infallible account of our current understanding of man. Rather, this is an invaluable introductory work on evolutionary sociology/anthropology. More recent works are likely to provide more accurate and up-to-date perspectives.
People who are uncomfortable with the idea of evolution or with humanity's connection to other animals should probably not read this book (they probably don't want to anyway). Most will find this a worthwhile read that challenges conventional thought about the human species and provides important insights into our origins.
Rating: 4
Summary: Good read and some fasinating information!
Comment: I bought this book cheap second hand, and I'm surprised what a good purchase it was. This book is a basic beginners sort of guide into the world of anthropology/zoology but it is tailored to the average reader, and contains lots of interesting facts you may not already know about the animal kingdom, especially about the monkeys and apes. This book is bent towards the Darwinist theory of evolution, probably one of the most popular "scientific" theories people are taught today. Yet all this is still not much more than speculation, for there isn't ample concrete evidence to prove that this theory is true. Still, the question is : what if it is true? And if it is, then all these incredible things said in the book (I was very amused when reading the chapter about how and why human beings have nipples, lips, etc.) could be true! As I said - almost unbelievable, funny at times, and so fascinating! The book isn't overly lengthy at all, so its pretty short and sweet, but most of the general public will definitely learn at least one or two things after reading it.
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Title: The Human Zoo: A Zoologist's Classic Study of the Urban Animal (Kodansha Globe) by Desmond Morris, Philip Turner ISBN: 1568361041 Publisher: Kodansha International Pub. Date: April, 1996 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title: Intimate Behavior: A Zoologist's Classic Study of Human Intimacy by Desmond Morris ISBN: 1568361637 Publisher: Kodansha International Pub. Date: August, 1997 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title: Dogwatching : Why dogs bark and other canine mysteries explained by Desmond Morris ISBN: 0517880555 Publisher: Three Rivers Press Pub. Date: 31 March, 1993 List Price(USD): $10.00 |
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Title: THE NAKED EYE by D Morris, Desmond Morris ISBN: 0091878675 Publisher: Trafalgar Square Pub. Date: 24 July, 2001 List Price(USD): $14.99 |
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Title: Peoplewatching : The Desmond Morris Guide to Body Language by Desmond Morris ISBN: 0099429780 Publisher: Vintage Books Pub. Date: 14 June, 2002 |
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