Beasts : What Animals Can Teach Us About the Origins of Good and Evil

Bestselling author Jeffrey Masson shows us what the animals at the top of the food chain-orca whales, big cats, etc.-can teach us about the origins of good and evil in ourselves. In his previous bestsellers, Masson has showed us that animals can teach us much about our own emotions-love (dogs), contentment (cats), and grief (elephants), among others. In Beasts , he demonstrates that the violence we perceive in the "wild†? is a matter of projection. Animals predators kill to survive, but animal aggression is not even remotely equivalent to the violence of mankind. Humans are the most violent animals to our own kind in existence. We lack what all other animals have: a check on the aggression that would destroy the species rather than serve it. In Beasts , Masson brings to life the richness of the animal world and strips away our misconceptions of the creatures we fear, offering a powerful and compelling look at our uniquely human propensity toward aggression. ** From Booklist Masson (Dogs Make Us Human, 2011) has written extensively about emotions in animals and what studying animals can teach us about being human. Here he examines the negative emotion, anger, and its manifestation as aggression. Humans often refer to each other as animals, meaning that the other person’s behavior is dangerous or cruel, but how true is this characterization? Masson argues that the comparison is not at all apt, that we display much more violence and cruelty against our own species than any other animal on the planet, and that we can actually learn to change by observing the purported “beasts” that share our world. Examining such human endeavors as war, exploitation, and hatred, Masson delineates the differences between humans and other animals and points out that we are the only species that ever shows these behaviors. Even the supposedly positive human traits of kindness and altruism, which we like to think separate us from the “beasts,” have been frequently demonstrated in other species. Heavily footnoted and with an extensive bibliography, this one will make you think about the definition of human. --Nancy Bent Review “Most of us see humans as morally superior to animals, while describing our uniquely human bad behavior (war, torture, enslavement, extermination) as ‘brutish, animalistic, inhuman, sub-human.' Jeffrey Masson has made me aware that humans in fact are the only animals that exhibit this behavior, and do so frequently and massively. A groundbreaking book.” ― Daniel Ellsberg “Masson reveals how we shortchange ourselves with our narrow view of community, by laying down an almost impassable and rocky road between ourselves and ‘others.' Beasts reminds us of the unforgivable things humans do to dominate animals.” ― Ingrid Newkirk, founder of PETA “ Beasts is a tour de force that takes us on a journey of human nature, from the organized violence of war, to our individual cruelty toward solitary humans and animals, to the love, compassion, and altruism that we can show toward one another. After reading this book, you will never view human nature the same.” ― Con Slobodchikoff, author of Chasing Doctor Dolittle “ Beasts is profoundly wise, deeply compassionate, and filled with insights and understanding that can reshape the way we think about ourselves and our relationship to life itself. Inspiring and a joy to read.” ― John Robbins, author of Diet for a New America “Jeffrey Masson is a forward-thinking writer who's not afraid to take on some of the most entrenched ideas and revered thinkers of our age. A provocative book!” ― Jonathan Balcombe, author of Pleasurable Kingdom “A gentle, thoughtful and remarkably wide-ranging book that explores the nature of humanity and the nature of violence and hatred, suggesting paths we humans might take to turn toward peace and kindness. Beasts deserves to be widely read and widely pondered.” ― Pat Shipman, author of The Animal Connection “A noble pursuit . . . . intriguing.” ― New York Times Book Review “This one will make you think about the definition of human.” ― Booklist “Masson's writing is easily accessible to both a general audience and those already familiar with the subject. With a personal, passionate, and sympathetic style, Masson makes an imperative case . . . . Beasts implores us to rethink our long-entrenched beliefs regarding the nature of non-human animals, in hopes that by more accurately perceiving the world around us, we may learn to treat not only other species with greater kindness and compassion, but perhaps our own as well.” ― The Oregonian “A compelling, unsettling, provocative examination of the relation of beast to man.” ― Kirkus Reviews All Identifiers : amazon:B00GC53AF4, goodreads:17286692, google:5iHBAgAAQBAJ, isbn:9781608196159, mobi-asin:B00GC53AF4, oclc:827256968 Number of Words in Auth: 3 Formats : EPUB Number of Formats : 1 Has Cover : Yes Single Author : Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson Original Source : New Epubs from KAT Wk 2 Sorted Author by LN, FN: Masson, Jeffrey Moussaieff Title Length : 067 Title Parm D : Beasts_What Animals Can Teach Us About the Origins of Good and Evil Title Parm G : Beasts Num of Aut : 1 Title Parm B : ( Title Parm H : What Animals Can Teach Us About the Origins of Good and Evil Record ID : 8727 Uncomma Author : Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson Title Parm A : Beasts_What Animals Can Teach Us About the Origins of Good and Evil "There are two supreme predators on the planet with the most complex brains in nature: humans and orcas. In the twentieth century alone, one of these animals killed 200 million members of its own species, the other has killed none. Jeffrey Masson's fascinating new book begins here: There is something different about us. In his previous bestsellers, Masson has showed that animals can teach us much about our own emotions--love (dogs), contentment (cats), grief (elephants), among others. But animals have much to teach us about negative emotions such as anger and aggression as well, and in unexpected ways. In Beasts he demonstrates that the violence we perceive in the "wild" is mostly a matter of projection. We link the basest human behavior to animals, to "beasts" ("he behaved no better than a beast"), and claim the high ground for our species. We are least human, we think, when we succumb to our primitive, animal ancestry. Nothing could be further from the truth. Animals, at least predators, kill to survive, but there is nothing in the annals of animal aggression remotely equivalent to the violence of mankind. Our burden is that humans, and in particular humans in our modern industrialized world, are the most violent animals to our own kind in existence, or possibly ever in existence on earth. We lack what all other animals have: a check on the aggression that would destroy the species rather than serve it. It is here, Masson says, that animals have something to teach us about our own history. In Beasts, he strips away our misconceptions of the creatures we fear, offering a powerful and compelling look at our uniquely human propensity toward aggression"-- Provided by publisher