Minds I've Met: From Denying to Embracing the Inner Lives of Animals

by Frans de Waal

New York Times best-selling author and world-renowned primatologist Frans de Waal traces the dramatic changes in humanity’s perception of animals over the past half-century.

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.

34 illustrations

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Animals

304 pages, Hardcover

Published October 13, 2026

About the author

Frans de Waal has been named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People. The author of Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?, among many other works, he is the C. H. Candler Professor in Emory University’s Psychology Department and director of the Living Links Center at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

Reviews

[Leo · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

I haven't read any books by Frans de Waal before rquestion the audiobook but im sure I've come across his works and ideas before without realising. Animals minds, behaviors and similarities to humans is a very interesting topic that have overdone many changes in ideas and how we humans see them. Very much enjoyed the audiobook and the narration.

[Hunty · Rating 5 out of 5]

: wow wow wow!! I missed primatology and primate behavior SOOO much. This half memoir half case study review details the incredible career that de Waal has lived. It’s unfortunate that he passed before he finished it but I think it’s gorgeously poetic that his students were the ones to finish his work and seal his legacy in this time. boy-o-boy do I want to dive back into primatology after reading this. The minds of non-human primates is vast and complex. I am truly enamored with this text.

[Elisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

de Waal’s passing was a great loss to animal lovers everywhere, so it feels like such an unexpected gift to have his words from beyond, thanks to his wife and collaborators. This volume combines biography and science, focusing on how our perception of animals has evolved over the past few decades. I think about the attitude of my grandparents in the ’80s compared with the way my sister is raising her children, and the difference feels like such a great leap forward. Frans de Waal and other ethologists must be thanked for that. In this book, de Waal reminisces about his early work, explores the contributions of his forebears, and looks optimistically toward the path his successors are taking. As with all his books, my favorite parts are the anecdotes. Yes, they may be frowned upon by “serious” scientists, but they are such a joy to learn from—or to revisit, as is the case with some of the details here. The author focuses on cooperation between subjects, culture, and the ways in which humans are not so different from other species. There is also some philosophy, along with de Waal’s thoughts and hopes for the future. His wife mentions that he became a primatologist almost by accident, as he was also interested in fish and birds. We can only wonder what we might know about fish or birds today had de Waal taken that path instead. A beautiful and bittersweet final gift from a remarkable scientist and observer of the animal world.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/W. W. Norton & Company.

[Hypsypops · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a fan of Frans de Waal’s other works, and I was saddened to hear of his passing. It was a pleasant surprise to stumble upon this book a couple of years later.

This book is very clear from the beginning that there are multiple co-authors who worked hard to complete his final work. The chapters that were left incomplete are listed at the very beginning, but when I read them, I didn’t notice which they were. The co-authors managed to maintain Frans’ distinctive voice. In my mind, they really did honor his vision.

My favorite part was probably the epilogue, written by his wife. Since Frans wrote his books about others, and about his research, there wasn’t a lot of focus on how good of a person and teacher he was. He didn’t brag about himself, and it was lovely to give someone the chance to do so.

This was a great book. I really enjoyed hearing Frans talk about publishing in a second language, and I loved hearing about experiments, both eventful and uneventful.

I was lucky enough to get an ebook and an audio edition. I love listening to the audio, as it is such a fun text to listen to while doing chores, and I’m excited to do a deep dive on my ebook. I know there is so much I missed on my listen.

RIP Frans. Thank you for leaving us with another wonderful book.

And thank you to all the co-authors for working hard to complete the book.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC and ALC.

[Sonia Reppe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This scientist shares the research (his and others) that proves animals are not driven just by instincts but have complex intelligence, emotions and inner worlds.

[Justine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? a while ago, and it really struck me as a great compendium of both "anecdotes"/observations and reflections about the science and psychology about animals, their behaviours and, mostly, their intelligence.
This last book had the same vibe and I loved it as much as the first one. It felt like a privilege to get Frans de Waal's last studies. As usual, he doesn't forget to thank the ones coming before him and his colleagues for their own studies and observations, as they paved the way for his written reflections here. I learnt a lot about animals, their behaviours, and still I'm astonished that we humans - and scientists mostly - dare suggest that they are not intelligent, that they lack empathy. Anyone observing can understand how wrong this theory is. I loved that all of his facts were backed by actual examples, witnessed by himself or other researchers - and really loved all the nuances of the conscience tests, what it might mean, and the way the tests aren't adapted to all animals because they are thought by humans "for" humans, in a way -, and I also loved the effort to include other animals than primates, even though they are the main focus, as the author is a primatologist.
I also loved how Frans de Waal reminded that the purpose of science is truth, facts, despite scientists being, of course, biased by conventions, context, society and their own filters. I hated to see Japanese scientists being mocked by European ones when it was discovered, later on, that they were right and, so, pioneers in their field!
It was also the first time I had the view of a scientist about zoos and rescue centres - he also quoted Jane Goodall about that - and it helped me make peace with this topic.

A word about the narrator: his voice is perfect for this type of book. It is clear, I understood everything, he didn't rush and he had a lecturey tone that really matched the essay.

The epilogue was a warning about global warming and human action on the planet; it was a bit depressing, but accurate. I loved the part about our consumption as animal intelligence and feelings raises the question of our eating them, knowing they are individuals.
This book ends on a sad note, with Frans de Waal's wife's afterword, as he couldn't write one. Now, I still have all his other books to read, I'm grateful for them.


So, both a beautiful tribute to a man who worked with animals all his life, and a great tribute to their intelligence, still denied by many.

[Amie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ALC in exchange for a review.

I loved this book! First off, it is a non fiction book with a primatology focus and covers the ways science used to think about animal minds and how those hypotheses about the animal mind have evolved over time.

This book was mostly written by Frans de Waal, but he passed before it could be finished and published. His wife and colleagues made sure it was finished and got out into the world.

Frans made incredible discoveries about primates during his lifetime. I was particularly fascinated by his research on chimps kissing and showing affection, scheming and creating their own politics and alliances and then their ability to make up and reconcile after fights. This book also includes a lot of interesting insight into rat minds. The discussion on animal consciousness throughout the book was fascinating.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in both science and animals and understanding what science knows about animal minds currently. The last portion of the book focuses on our interconnectedness with the animal kingdom and is a call to make sweeping changes in current worldwide human culture to lesson the suffering of humans and animals alike.

Jonathon Davis (the acclaimed narrator and not the guy from korn ) narrated the audio and did a fantastic job. Sometimes nonfiction narration about heavy topics in science or history can sound monotonous, but Davis read it like he was also interested in the subject.

[Lizzie · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

I don't read a whole lot of non-fiction, but when I do, this is exactly the kind of book I look for. Easily digestible science, with a focus on the natural world.

Minds I've Met was my introduction to Frans de Waal, and it didn't disappoint. I loved hearing about the evolution of the scientific beliefs around the inner lives of animals and how that played out over the years. My favourite parts were the real-life anecdotes of the behavior observed in the animals and the way the testing was undertaken.

Although de Waal was unable to finish his book before his death, the collaborators that stepped in to help finish it did a fantastic job. In listening to the audiobook, I was unable to distinguish what was written by Frans and what wasn't, and it was totally cohesive. Jonathan Davis' narration was also excellent and kept me engaged.

Overall this was an interesting and informative listen that I really enjoyed, and I'd highly recommend for other readers interested in the inner lives of animals and the history of ethology.

Thanks to NetGalley and RBmedia for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

[LL · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for the ALC.

I love anything that has to do with learning about primates. How closely they are to us humans. This was amazing. I listened to the whole audio in one day. So interesting and informative.

Thank YOU!!!!!!