Primates and Philosophers: How Morality Evolved

Frans de Waal

Edited by Stephen Macedo & Josiah Ober

Paper | 2009 | $14.95 / £8.95
Cloth | 2006 | $22.95 / £16.50
232 pp. | 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 | 9 halftones

"It's the animal in us," we often hear when we've been bad. But why
not when we're good? Primates and Philosophers tackles this question
by exploring the biological foundations of one of humanity's most
valued traits: morality.

In this provocative book, primatologist Frans de Waal argues that
modern-day evolutionary biology takes far too dim a view of the
natural world, emphasizing our "selfish" genes. Science has thus
exacerbated our reciprocal habits of blaming nature when we act badly
and labeling the good things we do as "humane." Seeking the origin of
human morality not in evolution but in human culture, science insists
that we are moral by choice, not by nature.

Citing remarkable evidence based on his extensive research of primate
behavior, de Waal attacks "Veneer Theory," which posits morality as a
thin overlay on an otherwise nasty nature. He explains how we evolved
from a long line of animals that care for the weak and build
cooperation with reciprocal transactions. Drawing on both Darwin and
recent scientific advances, de Waal demonstrates a strong continuity
between human and animal behavior. In the process, he also probes
issues such as anthropomorphism and human responsibilities toward
animals.

Based on the Tanner Lectures de Waal delivered at Princeton
University's Center for Human Values in 2004, Primates and
Philosophers includes responses by the philosophers Peter Singer,
Christine M. Korsgaard, and Philip Kitcher and the science writer
Robert Wright. They press de Waal to clarify the differences between
humans and other animals, yielding a lively debate that will fascinate
all those who wonder about the origins and reach of human goodness.

Frans de Waal is C. H. Candler Professor of Primate Behavior in the
Department of Psychology, and Director of the Living Links Center at
the Yerkes National Primate Center, both at Emory University. In 2007,
Time magazine selected him as one of the 100 People Who Shape Our
World. His books include Our Inner Ape (Riverhead) and The Ape and the
Sushi Master (Basic Books), both New York Times Notable Books of the
Year.

More details here:

http://press.princeton.edu/titles/8240.html