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The Moral Animal

4.02 of 5 stars 4.02 · rating details · 3,133 ratings · 210 reviews

An accessible introduction to the science of evolutionary psychology and how it explains many aspects of human nature. Unlike many books on the topic,which focus on abstractions like kin selection, this book focuses on Darwinian explanations of why we are the way we are--emotionally and morally. Wright deals particularly well with explaining the reasons for the stereotypic...more

Paperback, 466 pages

Published May 6th 2004 by Abacus (first published 1994)

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May 18, 2012 Carlo rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: psychology, non-fiction, evolution, philosophy

If you find yourself uncomfortable while hearing about genes for altruism or genes for retaliation..etc., then this book is for you. It will clear many misunderstandings about what is meant by a Selfish Gene. In fact, the book has many explanations that would have been good for Dawkins to include in later editions of his book The Selfish Gene or write about later. Like Dawkins' book, The Moral Animal talks much about altruism and how it can be understood in the new Darwinian light (based on kin...more If you find yourself uncomfortable while hearing about genes for altruism or genes for retaliation..etc., then this book is for you. It will clear many misunderstandings about what is meant by a Selfish Gene. In fact, the book has many explanations that would have been good for Dawkins to include in later editions of his book The Selfish Gene or write about later. Like Dawkins' book, The Moral Animal talks much about altruism and how it can be understood in the new Darwinian light (based on kin selection and reciprocal altruism).

The book is surely disturbing and Wright doesn't shy away from taking ideas to their logical conclusions. Many things are counter intuitive, like for example how monogamy is (contrary to the popular belief) good for men more than women, since in the former many men will be without wives but no women without husbands. He argues that monogamy was probably adopted lately in order to maintain social stability. It is a highly intelligent and earnest book. There's a beautiful technique used here by trying to explain Darwin's life (which is described by most as "saintly") in light of Evolutionary Psychology which I enjoyed immensely, with Darwin being the moral animal. However, like any science, some things are still speculative and need to be verified by data as Wright always reminds us.

Having said all this, I marveled at the first 300 pages or so of the book. It changed many of my views about Evolution which I took for granted. We want to think of ourselves as animals with an extra part controlling the animal. This is most certainly false. We are animals capable (but not efficient) of contemplating our being an animal. Our brains are battlefields between our nature and our nurture (unlike what "anti-genetic determinists" think about Evolutionary Psychology).

What I liked less in this book were the parts about Utilitarianism and how we can overcome our genetic tendencies. I agree with many Utilitarian ideas which I read elsewhere, but I was somehow disappointed here after the amazing explanations of Evolutionary Psychology. This part needed further elaboration and treatment, and some ideas were left midway. However, it is a great introduction to the topic and I highly recommend it. The first 300 pages easily deserve a 5-star rating.(less)

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May 08, 2013 Ianw19 rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

If critics of evolutionary psychology (ev psych) agreed to read just one book of my choosing, this certainly would be the one. The Moral Animal brilliantly illustrates ev psych's vast explanatory power over human behavior and its tremendous potential as a guide to future research in the social sciences. It's a masterpiece of science writing that deserves the exuberant gratitude of the academic community and the general public alike.

Being an outspoken liberal radical and an apt pupil of social co...more

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Jul 02, 2007 Jeremy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own, mind, psychology

Evolutionary Psychology is a dangerous field. In all of evolutionary science, there's a lot of temptation to endorse a just-so-story that happens to fit all your current data (or worse, ignore some of the data as noise). But this is Human evolution we are talking about and thus it becomes even more important that we A) get the story right B) understand how general trends apply to individual cases and C) don't draw think that science can dictate morality.

Surprisingly, the book is best on point C,...more

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Feb 22, 2008 Tara B rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: done-been-read, philosophy

Evolutionary psychology has been used far too much to excuse men for raping women and fucking up our society with wars and patriarchy. I refuse to respect it; I think it's working to excuse us for the things we should be able to rise above. Wright does fight the absolutists and say this science is not an excuse for how much we hurt each other, but if he is so enlightened, can't he see that he is at the same time validating a science that is increasingly and more aggresively being used as fuel fo...more

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Quinn I know that sounds very ahh, simplistic, and it is I guess, but anyway, the idea that evolutionary psychology, according to one theorist "excuses rape...more
17. Juni, 21:44 Uhr

Jazz142857 This is one despicably immoral review.
08. Januar, 19:06 Uhr

Feb 18, 2009 Leslie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

This book is about 1/3 decent application of evolutionary theory, 1/3 stretching theory to cover subjects/behaviors that it might fit but there is no real evidence for (just logical reasoning), and 1/3 arm-waiving of barely thought-out evolutionary explanations. It also seems to be based largely on a few papers written in the '70s, constantly bringing up the same papers. Note the number of times the author mentions Trivers' papers. Additionally, the tone of the book (or train of thought of the w...more

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Apr 17, 2013 Josh rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"...bear in mind that the feeling of moral 'rightness' is something natural selection created so that people would employ it selfishly. Morality, you could almost say, was designed to be misused by its own definition." -- p. 344, The Moral Animal

Now if them ain't fightin' words, I don't know what is.

This book started slow for me but after the first chapter or so it starts to rock. Wright does a clever bit here, using Darwin himself as a subject for explicating the processes of natural selection...more "...bear in mind that the feeling of moral 'rightness' is something natural selection created so that people would employ it selfishly. Morality, you could almost say, was designed to be misused by its own definition." -- p. 344, The Moral Animal

Now if them ain't fightin' words, I don't know what is.

This book started slow for me but after the first chapter or so it starts to rock. Wright does a clever bit here, using Darwin himself as a subject for explicating the processes of natural selection and evolutionary psychology. So like two books in one, the biography being a freebie. Plus Wright's an engaging and witty writer; there are deep considerations throughout the book and a genuine laugh every few pages.

Wright really wins, though, when he's at his most thoughtfully provocative. In a freak example of truth in advertising, the back cover declares: "...this book compels us to rethink our most basic moral assumptions, with lasting implications for our public policy as well as for our intimate daily actions." That's no hyperbole. Pretty much wherever you stand on the atheist-agnostic-believer spectrum, the rug's yanked out from under you. (This goes for you too, nihilists.) One of Wright's main assertions, boiled way down, is that everything we believe in our deepest heart of hearts, the moral code we claim to live by and whatever we're dead certain is our Core Truth, is just a trick of natural selection; a device to further evolution's aims. And he's really damned convincing.

Whether you buy Wright's arguments or not, I submit it's a worthy exercise to try standing outside our own biases; to submit our beliefs to the skeptical scrutiny we apply to others' opposing beliefs; to question our behaviors and motives as witheringly as we would our most outrageous opponent's. It's brutal. Damn near impossible. Like trying to park your brain outside your skull and leave it there, watching. Reading The Moral Animal, I felt as though a gauntlet had been thrown. The challenge inherent here -- as I'm choosing to take it -- is to strip away all I take as self-evident, plus all the rationalization and corner-cutting and anything even remotely conveniently self-serving, and see what I can make of what's left. If you like this kind of angel-wrasslin', this book's for you.

(4.5 stars)(less)

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Dec 15, 2008 Will Byrnes rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: all-time-favorites-non-fiction, favorites, brain-candy

This is one of those seminal books (to me at least) that has a lot to say about the nature of human relationships.

Quotes:
p 36 - ...while there are various reasons why it could make Darwinian sense for a woman to mate with more than one man (maybe the first man was infertile, for example) there comes a time when having more sex just isn't worth the trouble. Better to get some rest or grab a bite to eat. For a man, unless he's really on the brink of collapse or starvation, that time never comes....more

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Dec 06, 2008 Joe rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: theory-of-the-mind

I'm less than half way through this and I still can't find out what the author's focus is. He started out with a description of some of the different ideas about evolutionary psychology. Then he shifted to the biography of Darwin. Then to early childhood development. Now he is drawing conclusions, loosely based on Darwin's personal history and some of his letters, that I seriously question.

I hope that this book gets better and a little more focused.

-Joe-

I'm 3/4 of the way through and the author...more

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Nov 24, 2012 Leajk rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: evolution, non-fiction, philosophy

This was so dissapointing. I had been reading a lot about genes, evolution, etc. and was really curios about evolutionary psychology when I started to read this. Unfortunately Wright's book was very unfocused. He uses Darwin's personal life and story as a sort of thread holding the book toghether, which might sound great if you like evolution and Darwin. Unfortunately it mostly seems like he used Darwin's fame and speculated about his personal life to further his own ideas, which feels a bit che...more

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Apr 26, 2011 Marvin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

So where does man get his morals from? Some people would say God. That assumes there is some absolute idea of virtue and morals handed to us from the almighty. Best evidence against this? The Bible. Read the first four books of the Old Testament, not just the ten commandments, and then tell me you would want to live in a society that allows you to sell your daughter into slavery and stone your spouse for adultery. Clearly our ideas of morality evolve and continues to evolve...for the better in m...more So where does man get his morals from? Some people would say God. That assumes there is some absolute idea of virtue and morals handed to us from the almighty. Best evidence against this? The Bible. Read the first four books of the Old Testament, not just the ten commandments, and then tell me you would want to live in a society that allows you to sell your daughter into slavery and stone your spouse for adultery. Clearly our ideas of morality evolve and continues to evolve...for the better in my opinion

Perhaps the question should be not where but how do we get morality and virtues. Sociology see social values as originating to unify people and protect themselves from their own savage natures. But if this is true why do people often choose an altruistic stance even when it goes against cultural edicts. Along comes the science of evolutionary psychology which states our morality is not from societal causes but our own genes. As genes originates physical changes, they also originate behaviors that help us survive through generations. The author illustrates, not just through human examples but other mammals, how certain moral behaviors have developed to insure survival, which in the sense of natural selection means to reproduce and leave lot of descendents. Not only are we genetically predisposed to behave in certain ways but we often go out of our way to deceive ourselves about this. Bye bye freewill.

Evolutionary Psychology (EP) is the new kid on the block. While evolution is an established fact, EP is young enough that the author of this thought-provoking book is often left to speculation, and he freely admits to this. However there is a lot to digest and ponder in these pages. Much is controversial and not just to fundamentalist Christians. Some have accused EP as condoning sexism and even rape. Not so. While Wright clearly states natural selection is only interested in survival not morality, he also realizes that if we understand the reason we do what we do, the more we can use this information for our own betterment. I personally think EP is too much in its infant stage to accept wholeheartedly but I must say I'm impressed with this excellent introduction to EP. Certainly this healthy examination of morals and mankind is a better choice than blindly accepting "God-dictated" edicts that have justified persecution and suffering through the ages.

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Apr 20, 2008 Rob rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: everyone ready and willing to put humanity under the microscope

Recommended to Rob by: Alise

Shelves: own, science, evolution, 2008

First and foremost: an uncritical read of this book will leave you feeling cynical and a bit cheated. It ranks up there with E.O. Wilson's Sociobiology and Richard Dawkins' The Selfish Gene (though I'll admit that I know those two primarily by reputation, having read excerpts and not their entireties). It would be very easy to find yourself getting defensive about the material presented in here; especially if you believe humans to be some special exception among animals.

Meanwhile, with a more cr...more

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Sep 06, 2007 Christian Clarke rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Every Girl

Shelves: 10th-grade-global, human-behavior, evolution, psychology, sex

He doesn't find your cat story interesting, and he won't call in the morning. He has gazillions of sperm and you have 400 eggs. Harry was right when he told Sally men and women can't be friends. Any guy who tells you otherwise is just trying to sleep with you. They're all trying to sleep with you, all the time. Your co-workers, your friends, the traffic cop, your high school math teacher, your cousins, all of them. all the time. Even the gay ones. And that's why they invented fire, the wheel, ca...more

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Mar 15, 2013 M.J. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I finished Robert Wright's "The Moral Animal: Why We Are The Way We Are" yesterday, a look into the human mind through the perspective of evolutionary psychology. Wright is a deterministic Darwinist and firmly believes that the concept of free-will unfettered by the bounds of our species' evolutionary history is an illusion. Not just what we do and the forms of our social organizations have a root in the genes that were successful, but even elements as intangible and essential to our being as ou...more I finished Robert Wright's "The Moral Animal: Why We Are The Way We Are" yesterday, a look into the human mind through the perspective of evolutionary psychology. Wright is a deterministic Darwinist and firmly believes that the concept of free-will unfettered by the bounds of our species' evolutionary history is an illusion. Not just what we do and the forms of our social organizations have a root in the genes that were successful, but even elements as intangible and essential to our being as our perception of reality.

The argument is compelling in parts--in the early chapters I was swept up in the writing, devouring each page--but the writing bogs down in points that left me with a sense of the density of the 500-page book. It would also be accurate to describe it as two different books built on a central theme of evolutionary psychology and tied together by the author's own telling of Darwin's life.

The first three-quarters of the book is about the impact of evolution on our psychology. This is where the book shines. It examines the behaviour of the human animal--it's social and sexual structure, it's tendencies, it's common elements across cultures--and what advantage such tendencies had in order to thrive and conquer over the genetic code of those without such tendencies. Though he writes with an air of authority, not every argument is convincing--he is looking at the end result and trying to work backwards afterall--but there is more than a sense of its possibility.

The last part of the book is a philosophical tract. If our genetic selfishness is so ingrained as to alter our self-perceptions, does it mean that we are destined to be slaves to an animal side of our nature? No. He argues we can overcome our own self-serving bias . This section, though necessary, was overly long and I didn't get a sense that the author was fully convinced, perhaps spending too much time with his own sense of environmental and genetic determinism to believe that society at large could move beyond being a moral animal to being just moral.

Conclusion: Moderately Recommended. While it does not feel like a breezy read--I keep coming back to the word dense--it's definitely worth the time (especially for the early sections).(less)

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Dec 01, 2012 Nilesh rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: good-non-fiction

This is the most fluent, starting from scratch book on the subject of evolution I have read. There is no presupposition of prior knowledge. And the author makes good use of popular notions of the Darwinian theory to throw light on understandings that are wrong, answer those common questions most of us have in mind and explain the real meaning of evolution.

Unlike Dawkins' books which are turgid at times because of too many examples from the behaviours of species of various kind (most of those spe...more

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Aug 10, 2011 Adam Lewis rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: moral-and-ethical-science-and-philo, biology

When reading a non-fiction book, especially one on a topic that interests me s deeply such as this one, I almost always have a highlighter and notebook at hand. The highlighter is to mark passages that strike me as especially insightful and the notebook is to jot down ideas that the book might inspire.

When reading Robert Wright’s “The Moral Animal” there were times I had to curb my desire to highlight or else there would be consecutive pages wholly riddled with yellow mark. There are so many th...more

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Jul 30, 2011 Jeff Hrusko added it · review of another edition

This books presents, what you expect it to, the logical expression of morality if guided by the mechanism of evolution. It ties some of our moral givens with evolutionary needs.

The tongue and cheek language of the book is what sets it apart, the author comes at the subject with the right mix of detached academia and flippancy, without losing touch of the real impact of morality on our lives. This author manages this tight rope act in a way I doubt few others could manage.

This book led me to th...more

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Jul 23, 2011 Jamie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Using the writings of Charles Darwin to deliver its human morality principles, I felt by the end of this book that I had learnt more about the great man than I had about myself. One problem with this book is that by centering on life in the 19th century, its themes were often not as relevant to society today. For instance, it may be advantageous for women to play a little harder to get in the game of love, but this is unlikely to have a significant implication towards social status today. Anothe...more Using the writings of Charles Darwin to deliver its human morality principles, I felt by the end of this book that I had learnt more about the great man than I had about myself. One problem with this book is that by centering on life in the 19th century, its themes were often not as relevant to society today. For instance, it may be advantageous for women to play a little harder to get in the game of love, but this is unlikely to have a significant implication towards social status today. Another example, families are unlikely to favor a child simply because they have a greater chance of moving up in socioeconomic circles. I further disagreed with the premise that each person has no free will, we may all inherit a certain instinct, but an instinct does not define our actions in their entirety.

Some underlying truths in this book are thought provoking. Man is not intended to be monogomous, but such cultural norms likely maintain social cohesion by allowing a more equal pairing of men and women. We are rarely content with the present and constantly focused on status signals and self aggrandizement, hence, our morals are essentially innate feelings driven by selfish goals, which require constant self-reflection and scepticism to control. This is also a singificant reason why all major religious have the same central themes, which have been considered necessary to guide our innate morals towards the promotion of social harmony.

Charles Darwin said this in 1882, and to me it is the key message I will take out of the book: "As man advances in civilisation, and small tribes are united to larger communities, the simplest reason would tell each individual that he ought to extend his social instincts and sympathies to all the members of the same nation, though personally unkown to him. This point being once reached, there is only an aftifical barrier to prevent his sympathies extending to the men of all nations and races." Humanity will continue to evolve and our success is dependent on the ability to empathize with all life on this planet.

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Jul 02, 2011 Frank Peters rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Much of the book was reasoned and logically consistent. As with most evolutionary psychology, Noam Chomsky's quotation still applies: "You find that people cooperate, you say, ‘Yeah, that contributes to their genes' perpetuating.’ You find that they fight, you say, ‘Sure, that’s obvious, because it means that their genes perpetuate and not somebody else's. In fact, just about anything you find, you can make up some story for it." Thankfully, this book at least improves on this by demonstrating w...more

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Jun 19, 2011 Robert Lewis rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Evolutionary psychology is the natural follow-up to evolutionary biology. There can be no doubt that the "mind" (for want of a better word) is the product of the natural brain. Further, there can also be no doubt that the brain is an evolved organ. So naturally, it is safe to "reduce" the sciences. Psychology reduces to biology (which in turn further reduces to chemistry and then to physics). Evolutionary psychologists seek to understand humans' observable phenotypic behavior in a genotypic mann...more

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Feb 06, 2009 Joel Justiss rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: psychology, ethics, evolution

Wright shows how many aspects of human behavior can be explained by evolution. He uses the life and character of Charles Darwin and his family relationships to illustrate many of them.

48 Evolutionary theory can sometimes make predictions that are borne out by further investigation.
102 Darwinism doesn't provide moral values, but it can suggest social institutions that will promote our values.
146 A moral code is an informal compromise among competing spheres of genetic self-interest, each acting t...more

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Aug 29, 2010 Jake rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science

Natural selection sucks. That's my main takeaway from this expansive and sometimes confusing exploration of evolutionary ideas applied to human behavior. To start, natural selection doesn't care about our happiness: it just wants us (or really, our ancestors on the savanna) to do whatever was required to leave as many descendants as possible. That includes having sex with anything slower than you (if you're a guy), using sex as a behavior tool (if you're a woman), and generally behaving a selfis...more

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Apr 08, 2013 Judith rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Not quite what I expected but in a way so much more.

I am interested in the genetic underpinnings of our moral codes. I know that there are evolutionary reasons that we think killing is wrong, that we believe it's best to treat others as we'd like to be treated. This kind of code is in the genes. It doesn't come from a religious book, although many religions would like to take the credit.

In this book Wright explains "evolutionary psychology" in an interesting way. He offers theories on why it is...more Not quite what I expected but in a way so much more.

I am interested in the genetic underpinnings of our moral codes. I know that there are evolutionary reasons that we think killing is wrong, that we believe it's best to treat others as we'd like to be treated. This kind of code is in the genes. It doesn't come from a religious book, although many religions would like to take the credit.

In this book Wright explains "evolutionary psychology" in an interesting way. He offers theories on why it is in our best interest to behave certain ways. To be more specific, that would be why it is in the best interests of our bloodlines to behave in certain ways during the dawn of humankind. After all, humans have not changed a whole lot in thousands of years, so we need to look at what was necessary for survival of the species back in hunter-gatherer days.

And thus we learn about the differences between the way males and females approach sex, the law of reciprocal altruism and how it extends past the immediate family, the role of social status in our actions, why we lie and deceive even ourselves. What makes this investigation even more interesting is that each topic is then applied to a human example: Charles Darwin. Darwin, as many know, was well known for his modesty and empathy, and for having a warm, loving personality. He was also plagued with frequent illnesses and depression. His life is well-documented, which provides a good basis for an evaluation of the man in relation to his psychological behaviors.

Darwin figured out some evolutionary morality behaviors early on. Others were left for over 100 years to be picked up by other scientists.

While I loved this book I found one aspect of it a little disturbing. I may have read it wrong, of course. I understood the chapters on ethics to suggest that essentially when a person is born into a certain culture he learns that culture's ethics. I do believe that, to an extent, this is true. But while I believe self-serving criminals find it easier to rob and steal than do those who had a more compassionate upbringing, I also believe that these criminals do know that what they are doing is "wrong" - not just illegal, but wrong. And I believe that certain behaviors are considered "wrong" in all cultures. There will always be psychopaths but apart from them humankind does appear to share some basic moral codes. And we get them in our genes.

Nothing, of course, is all that simple. There is a lot of room for maneuver within "human nature". (less)

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May 10, 2011 Ben Davies rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Moral Animal is the best popularisation of evolutionary psychology I have found. Robert Wright uses the life of Charles Darwin and Victorian England to furnish examples for an agressive application of the principles of the 'new Darwinism' (post 1970) to human nature, moral codes and behaviour.

The Moral Animal describes how natural selection implies unintuitive results: brains wired for environmental adaption, altruism as a winning strategy of individuals and unhappiness as evidence of menta...more

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Feb 18, 2008 Jenn rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: EVERYONE

Because of its technical nature, at times it was hard getting through it all, but anyone with an interest in psychology would absolutely be fascinated by this book. I actually believe that EVERYONE should read this book, only because it gives you incredible insights as to who we are, why we act the way we do, and how we can make better decisions for our actions in the future.

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Dec 15, 2010 Jrohde rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

a very interesting and provocative book, written in 1994 and recommended by Matt. It really describes the new field of evolutionary psychology by applying it to Charles Darwin, quoting his writings, published and more not published, to show how behaviour is indeed conditioned by evolutionary forces aimed at gene succession and success. In the early chapters, I was struck by the evidence for substantial evolutionarily determined beharioural differences of the sexes - logical and presumably hard w...more

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Dec 31, 2012 Bob rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

Wright was my first foray into evolutionary psychology and this book is an insightful, stimulating early survey of the research on how evolution brought us to the place we are. He examines things as diverse as jealousy and status and self-interest, and doesn't shy from controversy.

A slice:

"[N]atural selection never promised us a rose garden. It doesn't "want" us to be happy. It "wants" us to be genetically prolific. And in Darwin's case it didn't do too badly. He had ten children[.]"

"As for why,...more

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Jun 03, 2008 Amy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book is great if you are into the history/philosophy of science, or moral philosophy. I liked the beginning of the book better than the end. I think having background in animal behavior, evolutionary theory would be helpful for anyone tackling this book.

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Oct 19, 2011 Anna Jones rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really enjoyed this book, it was easy to understand from anyone not from a strong scientific or psychology background. However, the only thing that kept bothering me was there were a few things that he kept glossing over as being able to be explained away as genetics, without really going into explanation further than that. In one passage he describes genetics as being responsible for roughly 40% of our personality and actions. I think environment plays a huge factor in behavior, but I don't t...more

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May 07, 2011 Emily rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011

This book explores evolution as applied to human behavior. I thought it was new, but it's just new as an ebook--originally published in 1994. That still doesn't quite account for why so many of the author's sources were from the 1970s Sections of this were quite interesting, as he explores how behavior that made people successful in "the ancestral environment" play out in the modern world. And there are some telling moments where I can recognize my own subconscious motives. But other sections ar...more

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Jan 09, 2010 D'Arcy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

If evolution is true for a fruit fly then it should be true for us, and this book explores that idea using Darwin himself as a test subject. Great piece of work. It was my favorite book for years, and remains one of the most eye opening books I've ever read.

I got a lot out of this book and I recommended it wholeheartedly to a whole bunch of people...And it totally back fired. All the women who read it hated it, (it's sexist, it's simplistic, it's stereotypes gone wrong, it's gender profiling et...more

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About Robert Wright

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.

ROBERT WRIGHT is the author of The Moral Animal, Nonzero, and Three Scientists and Their Gods. The New York Times selected The Moral Animal as one of the ten best books of the year and the other two as notable books of the year.

Wright is a recipient of the National Magazine Award for Essay and Criticism and ha...more

More about Robert Wright...

Books by Robert Wright

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Rugged Mercy: A Country Doctor in Idaho's Sun Valley

Economics, Enlightenment, and Canadian Nationalism

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Quotes from The Moral Animal

“[L]asting love is something a person has to decide to experience. Lifelong monogamous devotion is just not natural—not for women even, and emphatically not for men. It requires what, for lack of a better term, we can call an act of will. . . . This isn't to say that a young man can't hope to be seized by love. . . . But whether the sheer fury of a man's feelings accurately gauges their likely endurance is another question. The ardor will surely fade, sooner or later, and the marriage will then live or die on respect, practical compatibility, simple affection, and (these days, especially) determination. With the help of these things, something worthy of the label 'love' can last until death. But it will be a different kind of love from the kind that began the marriage. Will it be a richer love, a deeper love, a more spiritual love? Opinions vary. But it's certainly a more impressive love.” — 27 people liked it

“We are built to be effective animals, not happy ones.” — 10 people liked it

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title link	preview: The Moral Animal
avg rating	preview: The Moral Animal Goodreads rating: 4.02 (3133 ratings)
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/100165.The_Moral_Animal?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348625321l/100165.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/100165.The_Moral_Animal?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Moral Animal by Robert Wright[/url]

The Moral Animal

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