Customer Reviews:
Classic commentary of evolutional proportions.......2007-06-18
The concept of looking at ourselves as an animal in the zoo is a fascinating one. While Desmond Morris takes a look at humans through a zoologist's goggles, coming to terms with this idea is half the fun while reading this book. The title and introduction of the book help create the detachment so the reader can play along. This 1960's classic reads more like a commentary of an intellectual with a fertile mind than the thesis of a scientist who has dedicated his life to studying the human species. Read it with that expectation and you will not go dissatisfied. However, if you are expecting another The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin, The Naked Ape will not cut it.
The book characterizes the naked ape's tedency to procreate, raise children, explore, fight, feed, live and communicate in evolutionary terms. My favorite part is where the act of sexual intercourse is put under the microscope and studied from a zoological perspective. It is like taking notes while watching a porn movie.
As with any stimulating commentary, it has opinions that may force your mind to demand substantiation. For example, throughout the book Morris' is morbidly fixated upon the problem of population explosion and that it would become the single-most important cause of destruction of our species as well as the planet. It plays such an important role in his mind, that his last words in the book are a warning sign against this phenomenon. His fear and his suggested solutions are radical. In general, he calls for sophistication of "birth control" at least to the same extent as "death control".
At the time of writing the book, the population was 3 billion growing at the rate of 150,000 per day (1.82%). If this growth continues, which Morris resigns is "highly unlikely", the book projects 400 billion naked apes in 260 years. Let's review this projection at the time of reviewing this book 40 years later. We are 6.6 billion growing at the rate of 211,000 per day (1.17%). At this rate, in another 220 years, we would be 80 billion which too, may I add, is "highly unlikely" and highly undesirable.
A commentary of evoluational proportions spans millions of years, and the selection of information to be presented is a task of astronomical proportions. Being mindful of the complexity of this problem, Desmond Morris seems to have done a fine job of selection and generally speaking, the theories are very agreeable. This is certainly one for the shelves.
A Mandatory Cultural Priority for Human Beings.......2007-05-05
Rather than denigrate religion, it helps to define mankind's potential given his human condition, and should be mandatory in high school and college classrooms to form the basis for the human condition in his collective world.
Profound as the title might seem, the philosophy is sound in that once all structures are removed from earth, what is left is essentially man, woman, and child to construct the best possible world for survival - what could be simpler to understand the nature of society that is as surely rooted in biology, as in philosophy and organization? Without a basic understanding of biology, human society cannot survive or make progress.
Well worth the read.
Degrees of separation........2006-02-26
Desmond Morris has created an extremely provocative and challenging book that forces one to question "humanity's" everyday and all-time reactions and motivations. It challenges one to analyse and understand whether we are as intelligent as we think. This book is as valid today as it was when it was written 40 years ago. Our arrogance in seeing ourselves as being intelligent beings is exposed or at least called into question. The Naked Ape, used well, forces one to continually re-assess and measure society's and one's own behaviour.
Very Good.......2006-01-25
Based on the cover illustration and the subtitle, you'd think that The Naked Ape is another book about human evolution. This is far from the truth. The Naked Ape is about man's current condition. It views people as just another animal.
Desmond Morris is trying to strip us of our superiority complex. His first tactic is to give us a new name: Naked Apes.
In a book that lacks loads of hard facts, it's easy to stray off and stretch the little data available. For example, Morris says that humans will inevitably be surpassed by another species. But he also gives evidence that goes against that. He claims that humans kill anything that competes with them. Morris stretches data very far when he talks about how the neighborhoods where houses are the same, are inhuman. He says that because we are territorial animals, we need to feel our territory is unique. He says that this leads to people in these neighborhoods doing things liking adding a room or planting a colorful flower in their front yard, to make up for the lack of uniqueness. The only thing is that if you ask someone who is adding a room to their house, they're going to say it's because they need space. We may be territorial but turning that into why we add things to our houses is quite a stretch.
To be fair, most of Morris's arguments are legitimate. In the first chapter when he talks about human origin, the theorems presented are legitimate. This is due to the fact that none of the theorems presents are Morris's. He is just reprinting other people's theories. (And crediting them) The theorem about aquatic apes makes a lot of sense.
This book is humbling. People seem to feel superior to everything, but Morris shows that humans answer to the basic laws of animal behavior. Even though city life is against our nature, we find a way to make it human. Being around hundreds of thousands of people is unusual, we still manage to talk to and be around the same twenty people.
I feel people should read this book because it shows not just how we're similar to chimps and gorillas, but each other. Though we may make different decisions, deep down we're genetically all the same.
Naked As In Stripped Of Our Illusions Of Self.......2005-09-09
If human beings ever make contact with an intelligent species from beyond planet earth, then the observations those "people" might make about us would probably read quite a bit like the ones evolutionary zoologist Morris makes in this humorous but deadly serious study of the human animal. The very things we have come to see as mundane about ourselves are the very traits Morrison zeroes in on here. Very little escapes this careful study, although in some cases humanity might collectively wish it had. In this book the human species is anatomically, psychologically, sociologically and biologically cataloged and classified. We read a dispassionate critique of our mating habits, the ways in which we raise our young, our preferences for foods, for where we live, for how we interact with one another, and what bodily features are universally desired over others. In the end I was left both amazed and embarrassed to be among the membership in this great and crazed life form.
Book Description
In this revised and updated edition, David Suzuki and Holly Dressel explore the ways in which human beings have evolved beyond their needs, trampling other species, believing that they can make the Earth work the way they want it to. The book examines how human arrogance — demonstrated by a disregard for the small and microscopic species that constitute the Earth’s engine, and the reckless use of technological inventions like powerful herbicides or genetically engineered crops — is threatening the health of the populace and the safety of the food supply. But this is not simply a doom-and-gloom scenario or alarmist creed. The authors introduce readers to the people who are fighting back, those who are resisting the inexorable advance of the “global economy” juggernaut. From Naked Ape to Superspecies offers strategies for making the right turn at this crossroads and prospering by reshaping the place of humanity in nature.
Customer Reviews:
Fascinating and compelling.......2007-01-12
Great book! I am impressed by how thorough and how interesting it is. It is chock full of information but very well written and easy to read. You don't have to be a scientist or stereotypical environmentalist to find this book interesting and compelling. I highly recommend it!
Average customer rating:
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THE NAKED APE
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000HDSP98 |
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The Illustrated Naked Ape
Desmond Morris
Manufacturer: Crown Publishers, Inc.
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ASIN: 0224022601 |
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El Mono Desnudo/ the Naked Ape: A Zoologist's Study of the Human Animal (Ensayo - Ciencia / Essay - Science)
Desmond Morris
Manufacturer: Debolsillo
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ASIN: 8497598601 |
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- A Timely Perspective On Humanity in the Biosphere
- Timely and thought-provoking
- Reality for Environmental Dummies
- Another anti-business rant from the hard left
- If you are here, you are looking in the wrong place...
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From Naked Ape to Super Species: A Personal Perspective on Humanity and the Global Ecocrisis
David Suzuki , and
Holly Dressel
Manufacturer: Stoddart
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0773731946 |
Book Description
Human beings have acquired enormous technological muscle power, and - coupled with our numbers and our soaring consumption - we are now having an impact on the planet that no other species has ever had. We are trying to dominate nature, but we are still part of it.
Foresight has always been a key to our survival and we have never needed it more than we do now. As we look ahead to an uncertain future, we have to examine some of our most cherished notions, like the ability of science to give us the power to manage nature, the benefits and hazards of genetic engineering, the real impact of information explosion, and the need to keep the global economy growing forever.
As you will hear in the programs, despite the sophistication of our technology, we remain biological beings, animals, inextricably embedded in the natural world. We must redefine progress and find ways to live in balance with each other and nature.
Produced at the state of the art recording studios of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Approximate Duration 4 Hours
Customer Reviews:
A Timely Perspective On Humanity in the Biosphere.......2002-04-23
SUZUKI:
Although David Suzuki was trained to genetically engineer fruit flies to grow arms from their heads, his perspective on science and life is remarkably human. I would go so far as to say that his understanding of humanity and its place in nature is perhaps unequaled among environmental philosophers today. Aside from working as a scientist, Suzuki also spent some 30-some years producing nature documentaries. This gave him the opportunity travel the globe, visit many different cultures and geographic regions, from indigenous tribes to povrety-striken Third World nations. It was through profound cultural education that Suzuki unlearned the mad science he studied as a youth and gained new understand about culture, economics and biodiversity. Nowadays, Suzuki mainly spends his time writing books and articles. He also runs an environmental organization in Canada, where he and his family live, called the David Suzuki Foundation. The website address is: http://www.davidsuzuki.org/
DESCRIPTION OF THE BOOK:
In this book Suzuki teams up with writer and researcher Holly Dressel to produce a sort of global guide to the biosphere-a work of scope and detail that will amaze you. They will walk you through ancient arboreal forests and the global economy with the ease of an experienced mountain tracker. They will be introduced you to people and movements that are sure to move. And perhaps most importantly the book will provide you with an important ecological perspective. Filled with stories, anecdotes, interesting facts, and tons of suggestions and references, from books to organizations - "From Naked Ape to Super-Species" is nothing less than a manual for humanity. Simply put, this is one of the most important books I have read.
EXERPT:
"Time is the one ingredient that is absolutely for vital for nature. It is the vast sweep of evolutionary time that has allowed life to flourish and huge changes to occur. In the 4 billion years that life has existed, the sun has increased in intensity by 25 percent, magnetic poles have switched and reversed back, continents have smashed into each other and then pulled apart, ice ages and warm periods have come and gone, and the atmosphere has been transformed from a non-oxygen to a oxygen-rich one. Yet life has persisted, simply because of the immense periods of time it has to make adjustments.
Today, the rate at which we are extracting trees, fish, topsoil and clean water, as well as creating pollutants and greenhouse gases, may match the speed of information technology and the economy, but it is not in synch with the reproductive rates of natural systems. More and more, our sources of information are no longer connected to the natural world and its limits. Politics, civic action and participatory democracy need time too. Democratic groups like PTAs and other voluntary human institutions take time to do their work.
Until we slow down the rate of growth in information and technology and learn to pay attention to the true pace of the non-technological planet, we'll keep making unrealistic demands that can't be fulfilled. At the very least, we need to understand that our accelerated rates of production and use of human-made technical information function at a completely different pace from that of the natural rates of information exchange, like those I experienced in the Brazilian rain forest."
MAIN ISSUES:
General Environment Issuses: from the toxification of our environment to Environmental Justice.
Consumer Issues: How do our shopping habits effect the world aroud us?
The Question of Progress: What does it mean?
Food Issues and Biotechnology: In Canada, America, the world abroad.
Globalization Issues: Impacts at home and abroad
Global Warming and Forest Issues
Non-Violent Direct Actions: some groups and individuals fighting against large international corporations for local sovereignty
Human Rights, Environmental Rights
Timely and thought-provoking.......2000-06-14
In his new book, From Naked Ape to Superspecies, David Suzuki explores a myriad of topics of profound importance. The environment is his central theme, though there are are chapters on genetic engineering, globalisation, and environmental activisim. Like other authors before him, Suzuki is deeply concerned about the current nature of the world. Biodiversity is threatened, cultural diversity is diminisihing with the onslaught of globalisation, and our very health and well-being are potentially in danger from genetically-modified (GM)food. Each of these topics is explained through the viewpoint of numerous experts in the various fields, as the book is based on a radio series which interviewed many people.
For a student of biological science, the book was real eye-opener as it exposed me to many of the ramifications of broad issues I had previously taken little notice of. I knew little of globalisation, now I think I know enough to be able to form an opinion. Same for GM food. I had not realised that Suzuki was so green, but he clearly has an active interest in the perhaps not-so-scientific side of environmentalism. He is a wise man who deserves to receive ample attention.
Overall, I found the book to be highly interesting and thought-provoking, and I recommend it to anyone with a more than a passing interest in the environment and other portentous issues. I have no criticisms to make, besides the fact that little written material seems to be referred to. As a result, the accuracy of some his comments must necessarily come under suscipician. This, however, should not detract from the overall superior quality of the book.
Reality for Environmental Dummies.......2000-03-26
I encountered this book first on tape, and have now ordered a copy for my town library, another for a faculty member at Norwich University who chairs a committee that makes an annual Earth Stewardship Prize award to students/faculty, and one for the Environment bookshelf in my own library. Unfortunately, this is a message that is far too late, but " better late than never". Those who think that simply expanding world trade, or consuming as usual, or that technology will save us from the results of human predation and exploitation of the ecosystem of the planet, or that there is no real global warming, or that the world can sustain an unlimited human population are the ones who MUST read this book. Yes, the earth will recover from what we humans are doing to it , but there won't be any of our (highly endangered) species around to find out what the world will look like then!
Another anti-business rant from the hard left.......2000-03-21
Yet another of-the-left anti-free market anti-business rant by a second rate 'scientist' that few people take seriously these days. Suzuki should keep to his last. Still, if you're already persuaded to his viewpoint -- a fellow traveller -- this book is a beauty.
If you are here, you are looking in the wrong place..........2000-03-02
If you are reading this review and contemplating whether or not to buy this book, consider the fact that it would be hypocritical to buy this book instead of borrowing it from the library.
Book Description
How the Naked Ape Got to the Land of Nod explores alcoholism among the waves and particles of
GENESISLIGHT
bringing from the darkness the first axiom of human relations:
There are lots of caring, sensitive, and stimulating people in the world, but they're not at my house.
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The Columbia River Salmon and Steelhead Trout, Their Fight for Survival
Anthony Netboy
Manufacturer: Univ of Washington Pr
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0295957689 |
Product Description
June 1975, NOAA technical report NMFS SSRF-689, National Marine Fisheries Service, 89 pages.
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Pacific salmon & steelhead trout
R. J Childerhose
Manufacturer: University of Washington Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Ichthyology
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ASIN: 0295956429 |
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Pacific Salmon and Steelhead Trout
R. J. Childerhose
Manufacturer: Univ of Washington Pr
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ASIN: 0295958669 |
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Coastal zone and estuarine studies
Emil Slatick
Manufacturer: National Marine Fisheries Service, Northwest and Alaska Fisheries Center, Coastal Zone and Estuarine Studies Division
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
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ASIN: B0006YPYM4 |
Books:
- The New Crusades: Constructing the Muslim Enemy
- The New Ruthless Economy: Work and Power in the Digital Age
- The Origin of Language: Tracing the Evolution of the Mother Tongue
- The Quest for Cosmic Justice
- The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature
- The Rise of Early Modern Science: Islam, China and the West
- The Science of Star Wars: An Astrophysicist's Independent Examination of Space Travel, Aliens, Planets, and Robots as Portrayed in the Star Wars Films and Books
- The Social Construction of What?
- The Sun, The Genome, and The Internet: Tools of Scientific Revolution (Nypl/Oup Lectures)
- Towards a New Alchemy: The Millennium Science
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