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A Better Ape Lib/E: The Evolution of the Moral Mind and How It Made Us Human
Humans are moral creatures. Among all life on Earth, we alone experience rich moral emotions, follow complex rules governing how we treat one another, and engage in moral dialogue. But how did human morality evolve? And can humans become morally evolved?
In A Better Ape, Victor Kumar and Richmond Campbell draw on the latest research in the biological and social sciences to explain the key role that morality has played in human evolution. They explore the moral traits that humans share with chimpanzees, how a more complex moral mind enabled Homo sapiens to arise and outcompete other human species, and the place of morality alongside historic revolutions in technology and social organization. Throughout the book, Kumar and Campbell argue that morality co-evolved with intelligence and complex sociality. Morality prevents societal collapse and enables complex knowledge.
After unearthing the ancient origins of human morality, Kumar and Campbell use evolutionary theory to deliver profound insights about how to advance moral progress and resist moral regress, such as reducing animal suffering on industrial farms; capitalizing on the recent revolution in gay rights to foster a nascent revolution in transgender rights; opposing intersectional inequality that impacts women and people of color in lower socioeconomic classes; and addressing major problems of global inequality, especially impending crises of injustice caused by anthropogenic climate change. Understanding how we evolved—and how we continue to evolve—can help us become a better ape.
In A Better Ape, Victor Kumar and Richmond Campbell draw on the latest research in the biological and social sciences to explain the key role that morality has played in human evolution. They explore the moral traits that humans share with chimpanzees, how a more complex moral mind enabled Homo sapiens to arise and outcompete other human species, and the place of morality alongside historic revolutions in technology and social organization. Throughout the book, Kumar and Campbell argue that morality co-evolved with intelligence and complex sociality. Morality prevents societal collapse and enables complex knowledge.
After unearthing the ancient origins of human morality, Kumar and Campbell use evolutionary theory to deliver profound insights about how to advance moral progress and resist moral regress, such as reducing animal suffering on industrial farms; capitalizing on the recent revolution in gay rights to foster a nascent revolution in transgender rights; opposing intersectional inequality that impacts women and people of color in lower socioeconomic classes; and addressing major problems of global inequality, especially impending crises of injustice caused by anthropogenic climate change. Understanding how we evolved—and how we continue to evolve—can help us become a better ape.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 12, 2022
My dear sweet reader who is reading this review, I’m so sad. I’m going to explain how this book started so great, then ended terribly but is still a must-read book and one of my favs of 2022. Sit back, and enjoy.
I have been so bored with books lately. It’s rare to find anyone bringing anything new to conversations. I love evolutionary psychology, moral psychology and philosophy, so I was excited to read this book but also skeptical. From the start, Kumar and Campbell blew my damned mind. I couldn’t put the book down. They brought so many fresh ideas to the table, and it was really interesting. They challenged other theories about how we evolved, and they actually made me not hate learning about a few topics.
This book is so detailed and covers so many different topics. It starts by discussing how we evolved as individuals, and then it moves into how we evolved as groups. They have great theories that are rooted in research and make you challenge some previous ideas about how morality evolved. Then, they bring it to the last few hundred years, and it ties in perfectly.
But, that’s where I wish it ended.
My main and only real complaint about this book is that the last few chapters were not needed at all. That’s just a personal pet peeve of mine. Books are a big time commitment, so I don’t like wasting time. It’s possible that I’m missing something, but the last few chapters just didn’t seem necessary. In the final chapters, they land in modern times and discuss important topics like racism, sexism, and more. The problem is that they didn’t really tie it into everything the book was about. They just discuss the problems, and it’s honestly stuff I could have easily got from other books on social issues.
In my opinion, if they just took these final chapters, made them one chapter, and did a better job relating current social issues with their theories, it’d be the perfect book. Unfortunately, I found myself just wanting the book to end. Still, I’d say it’s in my top 10 favorite books of the year, and I highly recommend it. The value provided in the first 80% of the book is more than worth the read. And if you do end up reading it, maybe you can let me know if I’m wrong about the final chapters.
I have been so bored with books lately. It’s rare to find anyone bringing anything new to conversations. I love evolutionary psychology, moral psychology and philosophy, so I was excited to read this book but also skeptical. From the start, Kumar and Campbell blew my damned mind. I couldn’t put the book down. They brought so many fresh ideas to the table, and it was really interesting. They challenged other theories about how we evolved, and they actually made me not hate learning about a few topics.
This book is so detailed and covers so many different topics. It starts by discussing how we evolved as individuals, and then it moves into how we evolved as groups. They have great theories that are rooted in research and make you challenge some previous ideas about how morality evolved. Then, they bring it to the last few hundred years, and it ties in perfectly.
But, that’s where I wish it ended.
My main and only real complaint about this book is that the last few chapters were not needed at all. That’s just a personal pet peeve of mine. Books are a big time commitment, so I don’t like wasting time. It’s possible that I’m missing something, but the last few chapters just didn’t seem necessary. In the final chapters, they land in modern times and discuss important topics like racism, sexism, and more. The problem is that they didn’t really tie it into everything the book was about. They just discuss the problems, and it’s honestly stuff I could have easily got from other books on social issues.
In my opinion, if they just took these final chapters, made them one chapter, and did a better job relating current social issues with their theories, it’d be the perfect book. Unfortunately, I found myself just wanting the book to end. Still, I’d say it’s in my top 10 favorite books of the year, and I highly recommend it. The value provided in the first 80% of the book is more than worth the read. And if you do end up reading it, maybe you can let me know if I’m wrong about the final chapters.
January 3, 2023
التعاطف والولاء هما مثالان على ما نسميه «العواطف الملزمة». إنهم يربطون القردة معًا من أجل المساعدة المتبادلة. لكن الأخلاق الإنسانية المميزة لها جوهر عاطفي أكثر ثراءً. ربما في وقت مبكر عندما كان الأعضاء الأوائل من جنسنا يظهرون في إفريقيا منذ ملايين السنين، طوّر البشر «عواطف تعاونية» جديدة مثل الثقة والاحترام. تختلف العواطف التعاونية عن العواطف الملزمة من حيث أنها تتيح أشكالًا أكثر تعقيدًا من التعاون. كما طوّر البشر «عواطف تفاعلية» جديدة مثل الشعور بالذنب والاستياء ، والتي عززت المساعدة والتعاون أيضاً.
نظريتنا تقول أن ربط العواطف الملزمة والعواطف التعاونية والعواطف التفاعلية هو ما شكّل جوهر عاطفي جديد. هذه النواة مميزة للأخلاق البشرية وستصبح المكون الأول للعقل الأخلاقي البشري . تم تصميم كل من هذه العواطف لتكون مرنة، وبالتالي سهلت العلاقات الاجتماعية الجديدة والمتنوعة. استرشادا بمجموعة جديدة من المشاعر الأخلاقية المرنة، اهتم البشر بزملائهم أعضاء المجموعة بشكل أكثر اتساقًا ؛ وتعاونوا في تربية الأطفال والصيد والحرب والدفاع ؛ تسوية النزاعات على الموارد بشكل موثوق والهيمنة ؛ وتمتعوا ، بصورة أعم، بحياة سلمية وتعاونية نسبياً داخل مجتمعاتهم المحلية.
.
Victor Kumar
A Better Ape
Translated By #Maher_Razouk
نظريتنا تقول أن ربط العواطف الملزمة والعواطف التعاونية والعواطف التفاعلية هو ما شكّل جوهر عاطفي جديد. هذه النواة مميزة للأخلاق البشرية وستصبح المكون الأول للعقل الأخلاقي البشري . تم تصميم كل من هذه العواطف لتكون مرنة، وبالتالي سهلت العلاقات الاجتماعية الجديدة والمتنوعة. استرشادا بمجموعة جديدة من المشاعر الأخلاقية المرنة، اهتم البشر بزملائهم أعضاء المجموعة بشكل أكثر اتساقًا ؛ وتعاونوا في تربية الأطفال والصيد والحرب والدفاع ؛ تسوية النزاعات على الموارد بشكل موثوق والهيمنة ؛ وتمتعوا ، بصورة أعم، بحياة سلمية وتعاونية نسبياً داخل مجتمعاتهم المحلية.
.
Victor Kumar
A Better Ape
Translated By #Maher_Razouk
June 27, 2022
This is an ambitious book addressing moral evolution, past, present and future. Its thesis is that morality helped drive human evolution.
The authors begin uncovering the evolutionary origins of morality from our common ancestors with great apes to the birth of the Homo genus. They then look at the development of morality during the flowering of our genus and the birth of our species (Sapiens) through gene-culture co-evolution.
From here, they zoom out by outlining the cultural evolution of human societies, beginning with the birth of behaviorally modern humans through social revolutions engendered by agriculture and urbanization.
The book ends by exploring the psychological and social mechanisms that underpin moral progress, moral regress, and moral stasis during the last few centuries. It provides suggestions on how the moral mind and social institutions can drive moral progress and resist moral regress in the future.
I did find the writing quite dry and therefore, appreciated the summaries at the end of each chapter. I don't know why more authors don't do this.
The authors begin uncovering the evolutionary origins of morality from our common ancestors with great apes to the birth of the Homo genus. They then look at the development of morality during the flowering of our genus and the birth of our species (Sapiens) through gene-culture co-evolution.
From here, they zoom out by outlining the cultural evolution of human societies, beginning with the birth of behaviorally modern humans through social revolutions engendered by agriculture and urbanization.
The book ends by exploring the psychological and social mechanisms that underpin moral progress, moral regress, and moral stasis during the last few centuries. It provides suggestions on how the moral mind and social institutions can drive moral progress and resist moral regress in the future.
I did find the writing quite dry and therefore, appreciated the summaries at the end of each chapter. I don't know why more authors don't do this.
August 9, 2022
Well researched and insightful.
Want to read
August 22, 2022Oxford UP announcement
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews