The Moral Animal: Why We Are, the Way We Are: The New Science of Evolutionary Psychology
by Robert Wrightbook data
487 ratings,
4.04
average rating, 86 reviews
(more data...)
edit
published
August 29th 1995
(first published 1994)
by Vintage
binding
Paperback, 496 pages
isbn
0679763996
(isbn13: 9780679763994)
description
An accessible introduction to the science of evolutionary psychology and how it explains many aspects of human nature. Unlike many books on the topic,...more
Sign in to Goodreads to see your friends' reviews of this book.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »
friend reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.
other reviews (showing 1-20 of 819)
All ratings
|
5 stars (179)
|
4 stars (185)
|
3 stars (96)
|
2 stars (19)
|
1 star (8)
|
avg 4.04
editions: all | this edition
editions: all | this edition
Has a copy to sell/swap
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
Like this review?
yes
(3 people liked it)
2 comments
Has a copy to sell/swap
—
Read in February, 2009
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
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
add a comment
Read in February, 2000
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 tim...more
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 tim...more
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
add a comment
Read in December, 2008
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'...more
I hope that this book gets better and a little more focused.
-Joe-
I'...more
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
2 comments
Read in April, 2008
recommended to Rob by:
Aliserecommends it for: everyone ready and willing to put humanity under the microscope
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, ...more
Meanwhile, ...more
Like this review?
yes
(2 people liked it)
1 comment
Read in June, 2007
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 be...more
Surprisingly, the book is be...more
Like this review?
yes
(2 people liked it)
add a comment
Read in October, 2003
recommends it for:
Every Girl
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
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
3 comments
Read in October, 2008
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 ...more
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 ...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in January, 2006
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.
Like this review?
yes
(3 people liked it)
add a comment
Read in June, 2008
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.
Like this review?
yes
(1 person liked it)
add a comment
Read in October, 2008
recommended to Elizabeth by:
delancyplace.comrecommends it for: armchair scientists
Another popular science book, this one about the relatively young field of evolutionary psychology - how human minds have been shaped by the forces of natural selection. The author, Robert Wright, explains sociobiological research in language understandable to a non-expert, using Charles Darwin's personal life periodically as an illustration of the theory.
The first almost-half of the book focuses on that eternally fascinating topic, sex and love. Wright explains the different, som...more
The first almost-half of the book focuses on that eternally fascinating topic, sex and love. Wright explains the different, som...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in June, 2008
recommends it for:
people with too much time on their hands
I had
high expectations for this book but the author lacks a talent for writing and it was a job to finish reading it.
I kept hoping if I stayed the course the book would become interesting.
The author spends more time talking about Darwin's marriage, children, personal agonies, blah, blah, blah...
than he does on the suppossed subject matter.
I read the first 3 books Richard Dawkins wrote with great joy and was hoping for that quality of w...more
high expectations for this book but the author lacks a talent for writing and it was a job to finish reading it.
I kept hoping if I stayed the course the book would become interesting.
The author spends more time talking about Darwin's marriage, children, personal agonies, blah, blah, blah...
than he does on the suppossed subject matter.
I read the first 3 books Richard Dawkins wrote with great joy and was hoping for that quality of w...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Has a copy to sell/swap
—
Read in June, 2008
Where to begin-- I enjoyed this book and am glad to have finally completed it because it introduced me to a new perspective on the origins of human behavior. The author challenges long-standing beliefs around such topics as dating, marriage, friendship, lying, and status, and forces critical dissection of the psychological differences between men and women with roots dating back to our origins in the state of nature.
The book is written in a paternal voice that will elicit not-altogeth...more
The book is written in a paternal voice that will elicit not-altogeth...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in July, 2007
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in May, 2008
recommends it for:
people who scrawl "Mr. and Mrs. Charles Darwin" into their gradeschool notebooks.
This author loves him some Darwin. I mean loves him. I mean wants to have Darwin's naturally selected babies.
[SPOILER ALERT: We came from apes.]
The book itself is interesting, but it was more an argument as to why Darwin's Theory of Evolution might be applicable to these various topics. I felt that even as the book kept going (and I skipped around to chapters that interested me, since it's pretty much an essay book), it felt a need to continue to make the argument that Da...more
[SPOILER ALERT: We came from apes.]
The book itself is interesting, but it was more an argument as to why Darwin's Theory of Evolution might be applicable to these various topics. I felt that even as the book kept going (and I skipped around to chapters that interested me, since it's pretty much an essay book), it felt a need to continue to make the argument that Da...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in January, 1998
Disclaimer: I read this book in college, a million years ago so I can't be sure it would hold us for me. However, I loved how smart it was. Unlike most evolutionary psychology I've seen since (I automatically dread/dismiss anything with that label on it) this book carefully considers piles and piles of data and still often comes to no conclusion as it would often be an irresponsible jump to do so. You have to read it carefully because he'll set up an interesting, provocative argument in one par...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in October, 2007
This is an awesome book, looking at morality from the perspective of evolutionary psychology. I didn't like the way it framed the book in terms of a little history about Darwin himself, but I got used to it and its thankfully limited.
This book is dense - I read the book over a few months while reading other, less demanding, books. It reminded me a little of Darwin's Dangerous Idea in its denseness. There's so much here, looking at everything from them marriage market to social sta...more
This book is dense - I read the book over a few months while reading other, less demanding, books. It reminded me a little of Darwin's Dangerous Idea in its denseness. There's so much here, looking at everything from them marriage market to social sta...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in May, 2008
Intro to Evolutionary Psych, particularly human moral instinct. All this interspersed with a Darwin biography. It's pretty good. I read it in 2008, about 14 years after it was written, so most of the ideas were already mainstream. i would have loved to have read it in the mid-1990's .
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in May, 2009
Came off as more of a textbook than your regular nonfiction book, but pretty insightful nonetheless. Basically a write-up on how modern human psychological behavior and tendencies can be explained by natural selection. Wish there wasn't so much on Darwin's life, but yeah. Hm.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in January, 2005
This book is an excellent introduction to the field of evolutionary psychology. It explains that the way people behave is a result of natural selection. Many of human beings seemingly puzzling behavior can be understood when viewed in these terms.
As a warning, Wright does go a little off the deep end when he discusses the notion of free-will. His perspective on genes as "puppet masters" is simplistic and he gets a bit hysterical on the topic. Evolutionary psychology is ...more
As a warning, Wright does go a little off the deep end when he discusses the notion of free-will. His perspective on genes as "puppet masters" is simplistic and he gets a bit hysterical on the topic. Evolutionary psychology is ...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
