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The Moral Animal: Why We Are, the Way We Are: The New Science of Evolutionary Psychology (Paperback)
by Robert Wright
| Category:
Evolutionary Psychology, Science, Non-fiction |
| Market price: ¥ 168.00
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¥ 158.00
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| MSL Pointer Review:
Well written and interesting, this book gives new insights into why we do what we do and how we got here. A great introduction to human behavioral evolution. |
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Author: Robert Wright
Publisher: Vintage; Reprint edition
Pub. in: August, 1995
ISBN: 0679763996
Pages: 496
Measurements: 8 x 5.2 x 1 inches
Origin of product: USA
Order code: BA00570
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- MSL Picks -
The Moral Animal has a rather clever premise, namely that psychological evolution in humans has a Darwinian basis some of the tenants of which can be intuited, and that Darwin himself and the events of his life can be used as a type-test of validity. Most of Wright's proposals seemed entirely possible and all were interesting. Most interesting was the way that much of Darwin's history did in fact seem to bear out the author's point of view, although I suspect this was due in large part to Wright's careful selection of the details of Darwin's life used as evidence of his thesis!
One of the more curious of the book's proposals was that humans grieve by degree, and that they tend to grieve more intensely the loss of those who are approaching reproductive age. The author states that in a survey of individuals in Canada who were asked to rank their probable sense of loss according to the age of the deceased, it was found that the subjects would grieve less for the very young or the very old. It was found that the curve that arose from the data was a near fit for maturation curves of modern Canadians and an exact fit for that of the San people of South Africa. Wright pointed out that the San are living a life more like that in which the human animal evolved. He proposed that the loss of an individual who would just be starting to contribute to the gene pool would be a more significant loss than either the youngest or oldest individuals. Interesting. I'm not certain I would agree however. Having dealt with a number of grieving individuals over the years, I know that irrespective of the age of the deceased, the degree of loss that "might be felt" is often not the degree of loss that actually is felt. I also know from the experience of losing my beloved Great Dane Courageous recently, that humans are capable of intense grief over a non human member of their family, a creature definitely not capable of passing on their genetic heritage. I suspect the human psyche is far more complex than Wright's simple ABC of genetic fitness would have one believe.
The book is definitely worth reading, as it brings up a wide variety of interesting points about human behavior and some very plausible explanations for it. (From quoting Atheen Hills, USA)
Target readers:
General readers
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Robert Wright is the author of Three Scientists and Their Gods and The Moral Animal, which was named by the New York Times Book Review as one of the twelve best books of the year and has been published in nine languages. A recipient of the National Magazine Award for Essay and Criticism, Wright has published in The Atlantic, The New Yorker, the New York Times Magazine, Time, and Slate. He was previously a senior editor at The New Republic and The Sciences and now runs the Web site nonzero.org. He lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife and two daughters.
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From the Publisher:
Are men literally born to cheat? Does monogamy actually serve women's interests? These are among the questions that have made The Moral Animal, one of the most provocative science books in recent years. Wright unveils the genetic strategies behind everything from our sexual preferences to our office politics - as well as their implications for our moral codes and public policies. Illustrations.
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| View all 8 comments |
An American reader (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-29 00:00>
Robert Wright is an exponent of the "evolutionary psychology" movement - that is, the notion that our civilization and its institutions, manners, laws, customs and religions are all a part of the evolutionary process. We are the sum of our genes but we are much more than that - the moral animal. We worry about what others think about us, about what we do, about right and wrong and evil and love and good and bad.
Wilson has made similar arguments in his excellent works and this book is a supporting cast member in the long drama of evolutionary science. The book is not technical but it is extremely interesting - discussing such concepts as male, female, sex, family, groups, altruism - all with a focused eye and calm, measured vocabulary. He looks at our reasons for doing what we do, why we like certain people and more importantly, why we dislike others and live life as we do.
One problem common to many books of this type is the almost worshipful homage to Darwin. His thoughts on many subjects are treated as Scripture at times and his life is studied for what he offers in other realms besides natural selection. While Darwin may have brought about a synthesis of scientific thought at the time, it is fair to say that technically he was surpassed long ago. In the end, this is a book about the qualities that make us human and different than other animals on Earth. |
Ahimsa Arceiz (MSL quote), Japan
<2006-12-29 00:00>
"The theory of natural selection is so elegant and powerful as to inspire a kind of faith in it [...]; there is a point after which one no longer entertains the possibility of encountering some fact that would call the whole theory into question." I fully subscribe this quotation from the Appendix of The moral animal, and there resides the beauty of this theory and the study of evolution, animal behavior, evolutionary psychology, and so on. Things look rather easy under this prism.
The first part of the book is dedicated to the man-woman relationship: to the nature of the reproductive, sexual and romantic relationships. Kin selection is at the core of the argument, which goes all around the differential parental investment between human males and females, and its consequences. Humans, as a slightly polygynous species (high MPI: male parental investment), show different strategies between sexes about how to maximize their contribution to the next generation. While reading it I was feeling that Wright's review of sexual strategies fits too well to a male's mind (at least mine) and I wondered what would happen if the book was written by Ms Roberta Wright, instead of the author, would she use the same tone? Maybe slight differences would arise. However, real or not, I like what he says (sorry, it is too long to explain here in detail, so you better read it). When you, male-reader, read these chapters you might feel a strong desire to increase your number of wives or sexual partners. Don't worry, it is a transitory side-effect. It passes. Sorry, I ignore how you, female-reader, feel about. Sometimes Wright's position seems to be too conservative, he seems to praise in excess the moral of English Victorian society. This is also transitory, since he is only playing.
Second part of the book is dedicated to social cement, this is: inclusive fitness, parental-offspring conflict and reciprocal altruism; family and friends; social bounding. Good revision.
Part three is also about the social bounding but from the strife perspective. Basically it courses on the importance that status hierarchy (in tandem with reciprocal altruism) has for the human animals, mainly among males, who are more likely to obtain reproductive benefit of the struggle. The role played by self-deception in order to convince others to believe what is in our interest is very well treated here: according to Wright "human brain is a machine to win arguments, a machine for convincing others that its owner is right-and thus a machine for convincing its owner of the same thing. [...] Like a lawyer, the human brain wants victory, not truth; and, like a lawyer, it is sometimes more admirable for skill than for virtue." A good dose of cynicism, isn't it?
As a summary, five are the theories employed to explain human behavior: kin selection, parental investment, parental-offspring conflict, reciprocal altruism, and status hierarchy. These processes interact between them in a varied environment producing a variety of flexible strategies. "The whole point of the human brain is behavior flexibility."
These three parts are wonderful, completely worthy reading. When I say wonderful, I don't mean that you need to agree with all the exposed in order to enjoy it, but is a wide review of the Darwinian explanation of all the main arenas of human behavior and it is very well written. Is particularly successful the use he makes of Charles Darwin biography, as an example. Wright explains Darwin's life and behavior through these theories. At the beginning I regarded it as a bit megalomaniac in excess, but later I found it really brilliant. And what the hell! I am (all of us?) megalomaniac enough and Darwin is for me an admired figure. Good idea. Well performed.
After reading this, cynicism and moral relativism are inevitable. You have the necessity of reconsidering our moral codes, rewriting them from a more conscious knowledge of the nature of our acts and motivations. Then we reach the (inevitable) fourth part: the moral realm. I think that Robert Wright could not escape from this part of the book (and for sure he did not want to escape), but it is also inevitable it to be the weakest part of the book, and by far the least interesting. You will find cynicism (already present, and in a better way in previous chapters), utilitarism, nihilism, the naturalistic fallacy, brotherly love, free will, and of course religion. His main point is that we must be conscious of our nature, that using the evolutionary prism we can dissection the origin of our impulses, desires, feelings, and then better control it for the biggest well (utilitarism, brotherly love). It is ok, but you better take more time to think about the kind of moral codes that you consider the best for future (and also Mr. Wright can continue thinking about).
I think that one of the most important points when working with the Darwinian perspective is the naturalistic fallacy. Wright, Dawkins, or Williams among others can argue that even we have been made by Natural Selection, we must rebel now against its law in the moral realm. They argue about the selfishness, even evilness, of such process, stressing our ability to break with it and decide from our own moral perspective. This implies understanding that for something being natural it doesn't mean to it be good. Ok, I agree, but the power of the naturalistic fallacy is immense, and the lawyer residing in your mind will be waiting any occasion to use it for your own (selfish) benefit. The natural fallacy provides a perfect way to justify many of our undesired acts: "I am sorry, but I couldn't avoid it".
While the three first parts of the book are a brilliant review of scientific theories, the fourth one is clearly weaker. However, the book is so superbly written that I felt a strong curiosity for the author (in the book I missed a better introduction of who he is, where does he research, and so on). I checked internet and found about his following book, which seems to have less acceptation among readers. I found that he is a strange character, not an evolutionary psychologist but a kind of freelance of writing books and opinion articles (maybe I am making a mistake). In any case I invite you to visit his website www.meaningoflife.tv, where you will find interviews to remarkable scientist and philosophers, but where you mainly will learn about Mr Wright's personal inquietudes. You can also visit www.nonzero.org.
To finish with this long review, it seems that Natural Sciences are reaching quite far into the understanding and explanation of human nature and behavior. People involved in social sciences such as philosophy, psychology, cultural anthropology, or sociology should look at this perspective, the New Darwinian paradigm if they don't want to find themselves completely out of fashion, soon. The moral animal is a wild work that serves as a wonderful introduction (much more than a mere introduction indeed) to evolutionary psychology, or human sociobiology.
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Lisa Leininger (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-30 00:00>
The Moral Animal is a fascinating book that will change your understanding of human behavior. Robert Wright insight into the subject matter is clearly the result of extensive research, looking at civilizations around the world, yet he writes in a style that is friendly and accessible to most readers. From discussions on male and female approaches to relationships to sibling rivalry to self-deception, The Moral Animal provides an in-depth look into how evolution can explain human interactions and what the driving motives are for their behavior in a way that allows for compassionate understanding of it. |
Brian Shea (MSL quote), USA
<2006-12-30 00:00>
I suspect that most readers will measure Moral Animal in a way that's proportional to how seriously they take evolutionary biology itself. Those who don't see it as serious science will have plenty of negative judgments of the book.
I don't think this is fair, however. The author says from the beginning that the discipline is in its infancy and much remains to be confirmed by further study. Yes, he says, the evidence is still anecdotal. But any scientific discipline starts with individuals daring to ask crazy questions, conducting experiments, and accepting harsh criticism from their contemporaries.
The evidence, anecdotal or not, is so overwhelming that one would have to be stupid to ignore the patterns. Furthermore, the author makes a good point: why do critics accept without question that animal behavior is rooted in genetic and evolutionary programming, but exempt humans from the same phenomenon? Why would we be the only species on the planet that are immune to this?
The Moral Animal is a fascinating read into human behavior and leaves readers wondering not why those apes at the zoo are so much like us, but rather why we're so much like them. |
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