Our Inner Ape
A Leading Primatologist Explains Why We Are Who We Are
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Narrated by:
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Alan Sklar
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By:
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Frans de Waal
About this listen
From a scientist and writer E.O. Wilson has called "the world authority on primate social behavior" comes a fascinating look at the most provocative aspects of human nature: power, sex, violence, kindness, and morality, through our two closest cousins in the ape family. For nearly 20 years, Frans de Waal has worked with both the famously aggressive chimpanzee and the lesser-known, egalitarian, erotic, matriarchal bonobo, two species whose DNA is nearly identical to that of humans.
De Waal shows the range of human behavior through his study of chimpanzees and bonobos, drawing from their personalities, relationships, power struggles, and hijinx important insights about our human behavior. The result is an engrossing and surprising narrative that reveals what their behavior can teach us about our own nature.
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Critic reviews
"De Waal's most hopeful message is that peaceful behavior can be learned....[An] important and illuminating book." (The New York Times Book Review)
"Readers might be surprised at how much these apes and their stories resonate with their own lives, and may well be left with an urge to spend a few hours watching primates themselves at the local zoo." (Publishers Weekly)
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- Narrated by: Joe Hempel
- Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Tucked away in Siberia, there are furry, four-legged creatures with wagging tails and floppy ears that are as docile and friendly as any lapdog. But, despite appearances, these are not dogs - they are foxes. They are the result of the most astonishing experiment in breeding ever undertaken - imagine speeding up thousands of years of evolution into a few decades. In 1959, biologists Dmitri Belyaev and Lyudmila Trut set out to do just that, by starting with a few dozen silver foxes from fox farms in the USSR and attempting to recreate the evolution of wolves into dogs in real time.
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Amazing
- By paul on 10-26-17
By: Lyudmila Trut, and others
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Sex, Murder, and the Meaning of Life
- A Psychologist Investigates How Evolution, Cognition, and Complexity Are Revolutionizing Our View of Human Nature
- By: Douglas T. Kenrick
- Narrated by: Fred Stella
- Length: 7 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Between what can be learned from evolutionary psychology and cognitive science a picture emerges. In Sex, Murder, and the Meaning of Life, social psychologist Douglas Kenrick fuses these two fields to create a coherent story of human nature. In his analysis, many ingrained, apparently irrational behaviors—one-night stands, prejudice, conspicuous consumption, even art and religious devotion—are quite explicable and (when desired) avoidable.
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Rather dated and self-aggrandizing
- By Laurie Frick on 07-21-11
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Through a Window
- My Thirty Years with the Chimpanzees of Gombe
- By: Jane Goodall
- Narrated by: Pearl Hewitt
- Length: 11 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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On the shores of Lake Tanganyika, Gombe is a community where the principal residents are chimpanzees. Through Jane Goodall's eyes we watch young Figan's rise to power and old Mike's crushing defeat. We learn how one mother rears her children to succeed, and another dooms hers to failure. We witness horrifying murders, touching moments of affection, joyous births, and wrenching deaths. As Goodall compellingly tells the story of this intimately intertwined community, we are shown human emotions stripped to their essence. In the mirror of chimpanzee life, we see ourselves reflected.
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The wonderful Dr. Jane Goodall
- By knvmxi on 04-05-19
By: Jane Goodall
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The Secret History of Kindness
- Learning from How Dogs Learn
- By: Melissa Holbrook Pierson
- Narrated by: Ann Osmond
- Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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An intimate, surprising look at man's best friend and what the leading philosophies of dog training teach us about ourselves. Years back, Melissa Holbrook Pierson brought home a border collie named Mercy, without a clue of how to get her to behave. Stunned after hiring a trainer whose immediate rapport with Mercy seemed magical, Pierson began delving into the techniques of positive reinforcement.
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Warning: praises ABA done to autistic people
- By Rosslyn on 03-09-16
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The Worm at the Core
- On the Role of Death in Life
- By: Jeff Greenberg, Sheldon Solomon, Tom Pyszczynski
- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 8 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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More than 100 years ago, the American philosopher William James wrote that the knowledge that we must die is "the worm at the core" of the human condition - a universally shared fear that informs all our thoughts and actions, from the great art we create to the devastating wars we wage.
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Skeptical at first, but they won me over.
- By Tory Giddens on 06-07-20
By: Jeff Greenberg, and others
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The Mind Club
- Who Thinks, What Feels, and Why It Matters
- By: Daniel M. Wegner, Kurt Gray
- Narrated by: David Marantz
- Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Nothing seems more real than the minds of other people. When you consider what your boss is thinking or whether your spouse is happy, you are admitting them into the "mind club". It's easy to assume other humans can think and feel, but what about a cow, a computer, a corporation? What kinds of minds do they have? Daniel M. Wegner and Kurt Gray are award-winning psychologists who have discovered that minds - while incredibly important - are a matter of perception.
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Who is the self in me? Am I part of something bigger?
- By Philomath on 03-24-16
By: Daniel M. Wegner, and others
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The Human Swarm
- How Our Societies Arise, Thrive, and Fall
- By: Mark W. Moffett
- Narrated by: Sean Patrick Hopkins
- Length: 15 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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In this paradigm-shattering book, biologist Mark W. Moffett draws on findings in psychology, sociology, and anthropology to explain the social adaptations that bind societies. He explores how the tension between identity and anonymity defines how societies develop, function, and fail. Surpassing Guns, Germs, and Steel and Sapiens, The Human Swarm reveals how mankind created sprawling civilizations of unrivaled complexity - and what it will take to sustain them.
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Worthless
- By Richard on 11-24-19
By: Mark W. Moffett
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The Self Illusion
- Why There Is No "You" Inside Your Head
- By: Bruce Hood
- Narrated by: Bruce Hood
- Length: 10 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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The Self Illusion provides a fascinating examination of how the latest science shows that our individual concept of a self is in fact an illusion. Most of us believe that we possess a self - an internal individual who resides inside our bodies, making decisions, authoring actions and possessing free will. The feeling that a single, unified, enduring self inhabits the body is compelling and inescapable. But that sovereignty of the self is increasingly under threat from science as our understanding of the brain advances.
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Disappointing
- By David R Pinsof on 05-10-12
By: Bruce Hood
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The Five Roles of a Master Herder
- A Revolutionary Model for Socially Intelligent Leadership
- By: Linda Kohanov
- Narrated by: Teri Schnaubelt
- Length: 7 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Linda Kohanov, author of the bestselling The Tao of Equus, pioneered a deep understanding of "the way of the horse," including the extraordinary nonverbal communication of skilled riders and the collaborative power of "herding cultures" through the centuries. She has adapted this profound, time-tested approach to modern life and the organizations in which top-down management hierarchies have become obsolete.
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Fantastic approach to leadership and life in general
- By Tiffany on 07-20-17
By: Linda Kohanov
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Wild Justice
- The Moral Lives of Animals
- By: Marc Bekoff, Jessica Pierce
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 6 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Scientists have long counseled against interpreting animal behavior in terms of human emotions, warning that such anthropomorphizing limits our ability to understand animals as they really are. Yet what are we to make of a female gorilla in a German zoo who spent days mourning the death of her baby? Or a wild female elephant who cared for a younger one after she was injured by a rambunctious teenage male?
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What Some Of Us Have Always Known...
- By Douglas on 12-12-13
By: Marc Bekoff, and others
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What listeners say about Our Inner Ape
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
- John
- 10-07-08
We are bipedal Apes: part chimp; part bonobo
Have fun and learn all about the ape family, including chimps, bonobos and homo sapiens.
The information about the bonobo, the unknown ape, is well worth the price of the book.
A great way to learn about evolution and primate behavior.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Kelly M. Whittington
- 04-14-21
fascinating read
This book had me captivated. The author's passion about his subject was contagious. I learned a great deal about primate behavior and annoyed my friends because it's all I wanted to talk about!
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- Kim
- 04-17-12
A great mix of science and interpretation
Whether or not you believe that humans and apes are leaves hanging from the same branch on the tree of evolution, this book will fascinate and surprise you. The behavior of bonobos is so different from humans - its hard to imagine living as they do but we could benefit greatly from adopting a few more of their traits - they are definitely lovers and not fighters. Yes, the interpretation of the behaviors of apes and the conclusions of the author can be disputed - but questioning these things is part of being human so it all works out in the end.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Adira
- 04-03-12
Human, chimp and bonobo societies are alike
Any additional comments?
I've really been enjoying listening to the audiobok version of
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- Shawn
- 12-16-16
good book.
Really good book. i definately want to learn more about our distant cousins. his critique of the selfish gene made me think he just read the cover. if the sg book was called something else like gene centered perspective he probably had used to support his arguments.
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Overall
- Joan
- 03-14-06
Our Inner Ape
Excellent! I find myself relating the information in this book to all around me. A new outlook on human behavior. The evening news casts, the workings of our government, our codes of morality have all taken on a new meaning making me more aware with greater understanding.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Dr.
- 07-23-09
Fantastic - not what you think.
The author is witty, thoughtful, and insightful. I was looking for a change of pace and tried this book on a whim. I am delighted that I did. I haven't listened to such an interesting book in ages. I will never think of any animal the same way - and I will not ever think of humans without thinking of our closest relatives. Give this book a try - you will not be bored and you will reexamine everything you thought you knew about the human condition. As Gauguin wrote on the back of one of his paintings - "Where do we come from, who are we, and where are we going?" This book will make you ask similar questions.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Smiles McCray
- 03-17-18
Unexpected Gem
This book is a must read for anyone who is at all curious about human beings, what we're capable of, and the importance of truth.
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- S. Stickley
- 10-20-15
A great beginning
If you could sum up Our Inner Ape in three words, what would they be?
intriguing, informational, entertaining
What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?
This was like listening to a friend talk about his work over lunch, very conversational, accessible for someone with little science background
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
I liked taking this a little at a time, so that I could digest what I was learning and then build.
Any additional comments?
I can't wait to listen to more books by Franz de Waal, and others, on this subject.
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Overall
- WILLIAM
- 09-16-10
More interesting that I expected
I was expecting a decent listen, but i was pleasantly surprised at the books ability to keep my interest on a topic I hadn't previously thought too much of.
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