Frans de Waal – författare
Visar alla böcker från författaren Frans de Waal. Handla med fri frakt och snabb leverans.
27 produkter
27 produkter
Inbunden, Svenska, 2020
216 kr
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"En fängslande och varmhjärtad bok, full av medkänsla och sprängladdad med insikter om djurs liv, människans inkluderat" Yuval Noah Harari, författare till Sapiens: en kort historik över mänskligheten
Mama, matriarken i sin schimpanskoloni, ligger för döden. Hon har varit apatisk i veckor. Men så får hon ett oväntat besök från en gammal vän, en mänsklig forskare och hon skiner upp av lycka. Deras sista möte fångas på film, vilket i sin tur fångar miljontals världen över.
Frans de Waal tar avstamp i berättelsen om Mama. Han visar oss inte bara det enormt starka band hon och hennes vän delade, utan också djurens fantastiskt djupa och komplicerade känsloliv. I denna banbrytande och underhållande bok presenterar de Waal resultatet av sina revolutionerande studier av schimpanser, bonoboer och andra primater, tillsammans med personliga möten med andra arter som lämnat stora avtryck.
de Waals upptäckter är lika radikala som instinktivt sannklingande: Precis som det inte finns ett enda organ som är unikt för människan, har vi inte en enda unik känsla. Sådant vi länge har sett som djupt mänskligt glädje, sorg, skam, kärlek, smärta och lycka återfinns hos andra arter, som verkar i egna avancerade sociala system. Detta får konsekvenser för hur vi ser vår egen plats i näringskedjan, hur vi bör förhålla oss till husdjur och bruksdjur, och inte minst för vår roll i det pågående massutdöendet.
Det här en bok ingen av oss har råd att missa.
Frans de Waal är en holländsk primatolog, psykolog och specialist på djurs beteende som blivit känd världen över för sin banbrytande forskning. Han har blivit utsedd till en av Times 100 mest inflytelserika människor. de Waal innehar en position som Charles Howard Candler Professor i primatbeteende vid Emory University och leder Emory Universitys Living Links Center. Han har tilldelats över 20 distingerade utmärkelser från universitet och privata aktörer världen över. Han har hållit TED-talks vid tre olika tillfällen.
"Superb slående anmärkningsvärd upplysande" New Statesman
"En övertygande bok, och de Waal är en ypperlig observatör av primaters beteenden och enormt kunnig ... ett fönster in i scimpansernas liv, och en spegel för vårt eget" The Times
"Frans de Waal har tillbringat större delen av sitt liv med att iaktta schimpanser, och hans forskningsresultat har förändrat vår förståelse för djurriket" Sunday Times
"Inte nog med att den här boken är utomordentligt viktig, den är också rolig att läsa, en riktig bladvändare. Jag kan inte hylla den nog, den är fullständigt briljant." Elizabeth Marshall Thomas
Häftad, Engelska, 2020
117 kr
Skickas
THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLLERIn this groundbreaking and entertaining book, primatologist Frans de Waal draws on his renowned studies of the social and emotional lives of chimpanzees, bonobos and other primates, and personal encounters with many other species, to illuminate new ideas and findings about animal emotions. Opening with the moving farewell between Mama, a dying chimpanzee matriarch, and her human friend - the video of which has been watched by millions online - Mama's Last Hug illustrates how profoundly we have underestimated animals' emotional experiences. De Waal's radical proposal is that emotions are like organs: humans haven't a single organ that other animals don't have, and the same can be said of our emotions.
Inbunden, Svenska, 2005
120 kr
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Tänker vi på släktskapet mellan apa och människa tänker vi oftast på schimpansen. Betydligt mindre känd och helt väsensskild är en annan primat, som också har ett DNA som är nästan identiskt med människans: bonoboen. Till skillnad från schimpansens stundtals aggressiva och tävlingsinriktade beteende är den känslig och empatisk. Medan schimpansen är patriarkal är bonoboen matriarkal och dessutom utrustad med en rejäl sexuell aptit. Den ger en helt ny innebörd åt djungelns lag . I nästan tjugo år har den världsberömde antropologen Frans de Waal studerat de båda arterna. I Vår inre apa utforskar han fascinerande och skrämmande paralleller mellan apornas beteende och den mänskliga, motsägelsefulla, naturen.Frans de Waal betraktas som en av världens främsta primatologer och har skrivit fem tidigare böcker som översatts till 14 olika språk. Nu översätts han för första gången till svenska.
Häftad, Engelska, 2007
362 kr
Skickas inom 5-8 vardagar
The first edition of Frans de Waal's Chimpanzee Politics was acclaimed not only by primatologists for its scientific achievement but also by politicians, business leaders, and social psychologists for its remarkable insights into the most basic human needs and behaviors. Twenty-five years later, this book is considered a classic. Featuring a new preface that includes recent insights from the author, this anniversary edition is a detailed and thoroughly engrossing account of rivalries and coalitions-actions governed by intelligence rather than instinct. As we watch the chimpanzees of Arnhem behave in ways we recognize from Machiavelli (and from the nightly news), de Waal reminds us again that the roots of politics are older than humanity.
Inbunden, Engelska, 2022
320 kr
Skickas inom 5-8 vardagar
In Different, world-renowned primatologist Frans de Waal draws on decades of observation and studies of both human and animal behavior to argue that despite the linkage between gender and biological sex, biology does not automatically support the traditional gender roles in human societies. While humans and other primates do share some behavioral differences, biology offers no justification for existing gender inequalities.Using chimpanzees and bonobos to illustrate this point—two ape relatives that are genetically equally close to humans—de Waal challenges widely held beliefs about masculinity and femininity, and common assumptions about authority, leadership, cooperation, competition, filial bonds, and sexual behavior. Chimpanzees are male-dominated and violent, while bonobos are female-dominated and peaceful. In both species, political power needs to be distinguished from physical dominance. Power is not limited to the males, and both sexes show true leadership capacities.Different is a fresh and thought-provoking approach to the long-running debate about the balance between nature and nurture, and where sex and gender roles fit in. De Waal peppers his discussion with details from his own life—a Dutch childhood in a family of six boys, his marriage to a French woman with a different orientation toward gender, and decades of academic turf wars over outdated scientific theories that have proven hard to dislodge from public discourse. He discusses sexual orientation, gender identity, and the limitations of the gender binary, exceptions to which are also found in other primates.With humor, clarity, and compassion, Different seeks to broaden the conversation about human gender dynamics by promoting an inclusive model that embraces differences, rather than negating them.
Häftad, Engelska, 2019
136 kr
Skickas
'Kindness and co-operation have played a crucial role in raising humans to the top of the evolutionary tree ... We have thrived on the milk of human kindness.' ObserverBY THE AUTHOR OF ARE WE SMART ENOUGH TO KNOW HOW SMART ANIMALS ARE?'There is a widely-held assumption that humans are hard-wired for relentless and ruthless competition ... Frans de Waal sees nature differently - as a biological legacy in which empathy, not mere self-interest, is shared by humans, bonobos and animals.' Ben Macintyre, The TimesEmpathy holds us together. That we are hardwired to be altruistic is the result of thousands of years of evolutionary biology which has kept society from slipping into anarchy. But we are not alone: primates, elephants, even rodents are empathetic creatures too.Social behaviours such as the herding instinct, bonding rituals, expressions of consolation and even conflict resolution demonstrate that animals are designed to feel for each other. From chimpanzees caring for mates that have been wounded by leopards, elephants reassuring youngsters in distress and dolphins preventing sick companions from drowning, with a wealth of anecdotes, scientific observations, wry humour and incisive intelligence, The Age of Empathy is essential reading for all who believe in the power of our connections to each other.
Häftad, Engelska, 2020
152 kr
Skickas inom 5-8 vardagar
Mama’s Last Hug is a fascinating exploration of the rich emotional lives of animals, beginning with Mama, a chimpanzee matriarch who formed a deep bond with biologist Jan van Hooff. Her story and others like it—from dogs “adopting” the injuries of their companions, to rats helping fellow rats in distress, to elephants revisiting the bones of their loved ones—show that humans are not the only species with the capacity for love, hate, fear, shame, guilt, joy, disgust, and empathy. Frans de Waal opens our hearts and minds to the many ways in which humans and other animals are connected.
Häftad, Engelska, 2010
272 kr
Skickas inom 3-6 vardagar
Häftad, Engelska, 2017
123 kr
Skickas
From world-renowned biologist Frans de Waal, a groundbreaking work which challenges everything we think we know about animal intelligence. 'A remarkable book by a remarkable scientist' Edward O Wilson author of The Social Conquest of EarthWhat separates your mind from the mind of an animal? Maybe you think it's your ability to design tools, your sense of self, or your grasp of past and future - all traits that have helped us define ourselves as the pre-eminent species on Earth. But in recent decades, claims of human superiority have been eroded by a revolution in the study of animal cognition. Take the way octopuses use coconut shells as tools, or how elephants can classify humans by age, gender, and language. Take Ayumu, the young male chimpanzee at Kyoto University who demonstrates his species' exceptional photographic memory. Based on research on animals including crows, dolphins, parrots, sheep, wasps, bats, whales, chimpanzees and bonobos, Frans de Waal reveals the scope and depth of animal intelligence, explaining how we have grossly underestimated non-human brains. With astonishing stories of animal cognition, Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? challenges everything you thought you knew about animal - and human - intelligence. 'A lively, punchy and rigorous review of 20 years of academic studies of animals' mental lives, written by one of the most prominent thinkers in the field... an important corrective to human exceptionalism' Sunday Times
Inbunden, Engelska, 2013
257 kr
Skickas inom 5-8 vardagar
For many years, de Waal has observed chimpanzees soothe distressed neighbors and bonobos share their food. Now he delivers fascinating fresh evidence for the seeds of ethical behavior in primate societies that further cements the case for the biological origins of human fairness. Interweaving vivid tales from the animal kingdom with thoughtful philosophical analysis, de Waal seeks a bottom-up explanation of morality that emphasizes our connection with animals. In doing so, de Waal explores for the first time the implications of his work for our understanding of modern religion. Whatever the role of religious moral imperatives, he sees it as a “Johnny-come-lately” role that emerged only as an addition to our natural instincts for cooperation and empathy.But unlike the dogmatic neo-atheist of his book’s title, de Waal does not scorn religion per se. Instead, he draws on the long tradition of humanism exemplified by the painter Hieronymus Bosch and asks reflective readers to consider these issues from a positive perspective: What role, if any, does religion play for a well-functioning society today? And where can believers and nonbelievers alike find the inspiration to lead a good life?Rich with cultural references and anecdotes of primate behavior, The Bonobo and the Atheist engagingly builds a unique argument grounded in evolutionary biology and moral philosophy. Ever a pioneering thinker, de Waal delivers a heartening and inclusive new perspective on human nature and our struggle to find purpose in our lives.
Inbunden, Engelska, 2016
257 kr
Skickas inom 5-8 vardagar
What separates your mind from an animal’s? Maybe you think it’s your ability to design tools, your sense of self, or your grasp of past and future—all traits that have helped us define ourselves as the planet’s preeminent species. But in recent decades, these claims have eroded, or even been disproven outright, by a revolution in the study of animal cognition. Take the way octopuses use coconut shells as tools; elephants that classify humans by age, gender, and language; or Ayumu, the young male chimpanzee at Kyoto University whose flash memory puts that of humans to shame. Based on research involving crows, dolphins, parrots, sheep, wasps, bats, whales, and of course chimpanzees and bonobos, Frans de Waal explores both the scope and the depth of animal intelligence. He offers a firsthand account of how science has stood traditional behaviorism on its head by revealing how smart animals really are, and how we’ve underestimated their abilities for too long.People often assume a cognitive ladder, from lower to higher forms, with our own intelligence at the top. But what if it is more like a bush, with cognition taking different forms that are often incomparable to ours? Would you presume yourself dumber than a squirrel because you’re less adept at recalling the locations of hundreds of buried acorns? Or would you judge your perception of your surroundings as more sophisticated than that of a echolocating bat? De Waal reviews the rise and fall of the mechanistic view of animals and opens our minds to the idea that animal minds are far more intricate and complex than we have assumed. De Waal’s landmark work will convince you to rethink everything you thought you knew about animal—and human—intelligence.
Häftad, Engelska, 2014
173 kr
Skickas inom 5-8 vardagar
For many years, de Waal has observed chimpanzees soothe distressed neighbors and bonobos share their food. Now he delivers fascinating fresh evidence for the seeds of ethical behavior in primate societies that further cements the case for the biological origins of human fairness. Interweaving vivid tales from the animal kingdom with thoughtful philosophical analysis, de Waal seeks a bottom-up explanation of morality that emphasizes our connection with animals. In doing so, de Waal explores for the first time the implications of his work for our understanding of modern religion. Whatever the role of religious moral imperatives, he sees it as a “Johnny-come-lately” role that emerged only as an addition to our natural instincts for cooperation and empathy.But unlike the dogmatic neo-atheist of his book’s title, de Waal does not scorn religion per se. Instead, he draws on the long tradition of humanism exemplified by the painter Hieronymus Bosch and asks reflective readers to consider these issues from a positive perspective: What role, if any, does religion play for a well-functioning society today? And where can believers and nonbelievers alike find the inspiration to lead a good life?Rich with cultural references and anecdotes of primate behavior, The Bonobo and the Atheist engagingly builds a unique argument grounded in evolutionary biology and moral philosophy. Ever a pioneering thinker, de Waal delivers a heartening and inclusive new perspective on human nature and our struggle to find purpose in our lives.
Häftad, Engelska, 2017
131 kr
Skickas inom 5-8 vardagar
Hailed as a classic, Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? explores the oddities and complexities of animal cognition—in crows, dolphins, parrots, sheep, wasps, bats, chimpanzees, and bonobos—to reveal how smart animals really are, and how we’ve underestimated their abilities for too long. Did you know that octopuses use coconut shells as tools, that elephants classify humans by gender and language, and that there is a young male chimpanzee at Kyoto University whose flash memory puts that of humans to shame? Fascinating, entertaining, and deeply informed, de Waal’s landmark work will convince you to rethink everything you thought you knew about animal—and human—intelligence.
Inbunden, Engelska, 2019
257 kr
Skickas inom 5-8 vardagar
Frans de Waal has spent four decades at the forefront of animal research. Following up on the best-selling Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?, which investigated animal intelligence, Mama’s Last Hug delivers a fascinating exploration of the rich emotional lives of animals.Mama’s Last Hug begins with the death of Mama, a chimpanzee matriarch who formed a deep bond with biologist Jan van Hooff. When Mama was dying, van Hooff took the unusual step of visiting her in her night cage for a last hug. Their goodbyes were filmed and went viral. Millions of people were deeply moved by the way Mama embraced the professor, welcoming him with a big smile while reassuring him by patting his neck, in a gesture often considered typically human but that is in fact common to all primates. This story and others like it form the core of de Waal’s argument, showing that humans are not the only species with the capacity for love, hate, fear, shame, guilt, joy, disgust, and empathy.De Waal discusses facial expressions, the emotions behind human politics, the illusion of free will, animal sentience, and, of course, Mama’s life and death. The message is one of continuity between us and other species, such as the radical proposal that emotions are like organs: we don’t have a single organ that other animals don’t have, and the same is true for our emotions. Mama’s Last Hug opens our hearts and minds to the many ways in which humans and other animals are connected, transforming how we view the living world around us.
Häftad, Engelska, 2016
152 kr
Skickas inom 5-8 vardagar
Can virtuous behavior be explained by nature, and not by human rational choice? "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, renowned primatologist Frans de Waal argues that modern-day evolutionary biology takes far too dim a view of the natural world, emphasizing our "selfish" genes and reinforcing our habit of labeling ethical behavior as humane and the less civilized as animalistic. 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 Darwin, recent scientific advances, and his extensive research of primate behavior, de Waal demonstrates a strong continuity between human and animal behavior. He probes issues such as anthropomorphism and human responsibilities toward animals. His compelling account of how human morality evolved out of mammalian society will fascinate anyone who has ever wondered about the origins and reach of human goodness. 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.
Häftad, Engelska, 2023
114 kr
Skickas
In Different, world-renowned primatologist Frans de Waal draws on decades of observation and studies of both human and animal behavior to argue that despite the linkage between gender and biological sex, biology does not automatically support the traditional gender roles in human societies. While humans and other primates do share some behavioral differences, biology offers no justification for existing gender inequalities.Using chimpanzees and bonobos to illustrate this point—two ape relatives that are genetically equally close to humans—de Waal challenges widely held beliefs about masculinity and femininity, and common assumptions about authority, leadership, cooperation, competition, filial bonds, and sexual behavior. Chimpanzees are male-dominated and violent, while bonobos are female-dominated and peaceful. In both species, political power needs to be distinguished from physical dominance. Power is not limited to the males, and both sexes show true leadership capacities.Different is a fresh and thought-provoking approach to the long-running debate about the balance between nature and nurture, and where sex and gender roles fit in. De Waal peppers his discussion with details from his own life—a Dutch childhood in a family of six boys, his marriage to a French woman with a different orientation toward gender, and decades of academic turf wars over outdated scientific theories that have proven hard to dislodge from public discourse. He discusses sexual orientation, gender identity, and the limitations of the gender binary, exceptions to which are also found in other primates.With humor, clarity, and compassion, Different seeks to broaden the conversation about human gender dynamics by promoting an inclusive model that embraces differences, rather than negating them.
Inbunden, Engelska, 2026
283 kr
Kommande
How humans think about animals—and our place among them—has undergone a seismic change. Breaking old scientific taboos and never shying away from controversial topics, renowned primatologist Frans de Waal was at the forefront of this revolution, fighting against claims of human exceptionalism. From de Waal’s early studies in the Netherlands through his five-decade professional career in the United States, Minds I’ve Met follows this radical shift in how science perceives animals. De Waal’s pioneering work challenged the traditional view of animals as living machines and contributed to a new image of animals as intentional agents with minds of their own, capable of remarkable cognitive feats, demonstrating empathy and self-awareness, showing emotions and consciousness. His final published work, Minds I’ve Met celebrates animals’ awe-inspiring abilities and traces the complete turnaround in one of the fiercest scientific debates of our time, bringing humans ever closer to the rest of the animal world and animals closer to us.
Inbunden, Engelska, 2026
340 kr
Kommande
For decades, The New York Times best-selling author and world-renowned primatologist Frans de Waal studied monkeys and apes. Culled from the thousands of photographs taken over a thirty year period, My Family Album showcases the rich social life of bonobos, chimpanzees, capuchin monkeys, baboons and macaques. From parent-child bonds to territorial conflicts and romantic entanglements, the images capture the subtle gestures, expressions and movements of natural communication with an intimate knowledge that eludes most nature photographers and casual observers of our primate family. De Waal’s captions offer descriptions that range from colourful impressions to sharp professional interpretation, resulting in an intensely moving and personal view of our closest animal relatives. This new edition is a richly evocative album for animal lovers everywhere.Frans de Waal’s Different (9781324050360) was praised as:“Dive into Frans de Waal’s magnum opus.... brilliant.” – Carol Tavris, The Times Literary Supplement“Entrancing... Different is worth reading for its anecdotes alone.” – Laura Spinney, The Guardian“The beauty of a book by Frans de Waal is that once you read it, you’ll never look at your own species the same way again.” – Tamra Mendelson, The Washington Post
Häftad, Engelska, 2006
326 kr
Skickas inom 3-6 vardagar
Häftad, Engelska, 2023
119 kr
Skickas
A ground-breaking look at gender and sex from the world's leading primatologist and New York Times bestselling author of Are We Smart Enough To Know How Smart Animals Are?'Brilliant and fascinating... brings a scientific, compassionate and balanced approach to some of the hottest controversies about sex and gender' Yuval Noah Harari, author of Sapiens, Homo Deus and 21 Lessons for the 21st CenturyHow different are the sexes? Is gender uniquely human? Where does gender identity originate? Drawing on decades of observing our closest living relatives, chimpanzees and bonobos, world-renowned primatologist Frans de Waal explores what we know of biological sex differences and of the role of culture and socialization.From maternal and paternal behaviour to sexual orientation, gender identity, and the limitations of the gender binary, de Waal analyses our shared evolutionary history with the apes, considering what is similar and what sets us apart. Male and female networking groups, sexual signals, the existence of gender non-conforming individuals, and maternal bonds are observed in primate societies, but humans stand apart in the development of nuclear families, the prevalence of sexual violence, and joint parental care.With expert insight and engaging storytelling, de Waal not only sets right gendered biases in the scientific community, but delivers a fresh and thought-provoking understanding of the behavioural norms and the many remarkable potentials of the human species.'A breath of fresh air...Fascinating, nuanced and very timely' Rutger Bregman, author of Humankind and Utopia for Realists
Inbunden, Engelska, 2026
204 kr
Kommande
Over the last five decades, how we think about animals has undergone a seismic change. And with it, so too has how we think about ourselves, and our place in the animal kingdom.For decades, scientists viewed animals as little more than automatons - creatures running on instinct, lacking in intelligence. It was, for Frans de Waal, a period of 'anthropodenial', in which scientists practiced a deliberate blindness to the human-like characteristics of other animals or the animal-like characteristics of humans. Instead, Homo sapiens remained at the top the pyramid, despite the growing evidence that the traits that marked us as 'special' - sentience, self-awareness and empathy, cultural and social behaviour - were repeatedly being found among other animals.From the reconciliatory kisses of chimpanzees and the politics of elephants to the three-inch fish that can recognise itself in a mirror, Minds I've Met is an inside account of the discoveries that changed the way we view the animal mind, revealing their advanced cognitive abilities and their emotional lives. Combining memoir with a history of science and a celebration of the animals, Frans de Waal charts the breakthroughs - his own and those of the wider community - which have brought humans ever closer to the rest of the animal world.
Häftad, Engelska, 2006
116 kr
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We have long attributed man's violent, aggressive, competitive nature to his animal ancestry. But what if we are just as given to cooperation, empathy and morality by virtue of our genes? From a scientist and writer whom E. O. Wilson has called 'the world authority on primate social behavior' comes a lively 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 twenty 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. He brings these apes to life on every page, revealing their personalities, relationships and power struggles, creating an engrossing narrative that explores what their behaviour can teach us about ourselves and each other.
Häftad, Tyska, 2013
554 kr
Skickas inom 10-15 vardagar
Inbunden, Tyska, 2020
274 kr
Skickas inom 3-6 vardagar
Inbunden, Tyska
264 kr
Skickas inom 3-6 vardagar
Inbunden, Tyska, 2022
294 kr
Skickas inom 3-6 vardagar
Inbunden, Svenska, 2013
194 kr
Tillfälligt slut
Under lång tid har Fernissteorin dominerat synen på människans moral. Enligt den är moralen bara en tunn fernissa, som med nöd och näppe förmår dölja människans sanna natur, vilken är totalt självisk. Men på kort tid har denna uppfattning ändrats 180 grader. Nu råder bred enighet om att empati, altruism och samarbetsvilja inte bara är medfödda hos människor utan även hos många djur. En av de främsta företrädarna för detta nya paradigm är primatforskaren Frans de Waal. I flera tidigare böcker har han berättat om hur en rad däggdjur i hög grad besitter många av de egenskaper som vi kallar mänskliga. Det fortsätter han att göra även i Bonobon och tio guds bud, men denna gång tar han ytterligare ett steg för att plocka ner människan från hennes piedestal, nämligen att sätta in religionen i ett evolutionärt sammanhang. Fastän själv ateist betonar Frans de Waal att religion kan spela en positiv roll i samhället. Samtidigt är han skeptisk till den nyateistiska rörelsen, som han kritiserar för dogmatism, enligt de Waal ett långt större hot än religion i sig. OM FÖRFATTAREN Frans de Waal född i Nederländerna, verksam i USA sedan trettio år är en av världens mest kända primatforskare, vars böcker har nått en stor läsarskara på många olika språk. Hans vetenskapliga arbeten har publicerats i tidskrifter som Nature och Science och specialtidningar om djurbeteende. Frans de Waal är professor vid psykologiska institutionen vid Emory University och chef för Living Links Center vid Yerkes National Primate Research Center i Atlanta. Han är medlem i både Nationella vetenskapsakademin i USA och Kungliga nederländska vetenskapsakademin. 2007 utsågs han av Time till en av världens mest inflytelserika personer idag, och 2011 av Discover som en bland 47 (alla tiders) Stora vetenskapliga tänkare. UR BOKEN Mitt liv som toalettgroda I Australien är det inte ovanligt att hitta en bastant groda i toaletten. Även om man försöker bära ut den hoppar den glatt tillbaka ner i toalettstolen, där den håller sig fast med sina sugkoppsfötter under de tsunamier som vi människor åstadkommer. Grodorna tycks inte ha något emot alla de mänskliga utsöndringar som virvlar runt i avloppet. Men det har jag! Jag kände mig som en toalettgroda under föregående sekels sista tre årtionden. Jag tvingades hålla fast med förtvivlad kraft varje gång det kom ut en bok om människans villkor, oavsett om den var skriven av biologer, antropologer eller vetenskapsjournalister, eftersom de flesta av dem förde fram tankegångar som var helt emot min syn på vår art. Man kan uppfatta människor antingen som goda av naturen men i stånd att göra ont, eller som onda av naturen men i stånd att göra gott. Jag råkar tillhöra det första lägret, men litteraturen betonade enbart den negativa sidan. Till och med positiva drag måste formuleras som problematiska. Djur och människor älskar sina familjer? Låt oss kalla det "nepotism". Schimpanser tillåter vänner att äta mat ur deras händer? Låt oss kalla det snatteri och "tiggeri". Det rådande tonläget var fullt av misstankar mot snällhet.