Why do people behave in such unreasonable, ineffective ways? Why can't we get along? Renowned science writer L. Sprague de Camp explains that some of our counterproductive and self-destructive tendencies are the result of humans spending over a million years foraging through the African savannah for food, grubbing for edible roots, and chasing other scavengers away from the kills of abler predators. In these activities we see our highly competitive nature and our tendency to view others as adversaries. De Camp examines our global "wrong-headedness" by considering the qualities that served as survival traits in our primitive past. This book is social anthropology at its best!
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Why can't human beings get together for the common good? Why do we compete with one another? Why do we have such a difficult time getting along with people of different nations, religions, or races? Why do people behave in such unreasonable, ineffective ways? Are we really just "balding monkeys"? Can we overcome our pre-human beginnings? "The Ape-Man Within" answers these and other questions facing our global society. Renowned science writer L. Sprague de Camp explains our collective "wrongheadedness" by exploring our primitive past. With keen insight and humor, de Camp reveals what makes us tick as the products (and victims) of our prehuman ancestors. Examining why we regard others as enemies first, he delves into the legacy of evolution and shows how it has affect our historical and social development. Primitive survival traits such as foraging in bands, scrounging for food, and chasing other scavengers away from the kill, are at the heart of our highly competitive and combative nature -- the overpowering tendency to view others as adversaries. "The Ape-Man Within" is social anthropology at its best! L. Sprague de Camp (Plano, Texas) is the author of over 100 books in a variety of fields including history, science, science fiction, and even verse: among them are "The Fringe of the Unknown", "Geomythology", "The Day of the Dinosaur", "The Reluctant King", and many more. -- Midwest Book Review
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4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not simplistic... deals with the inner reality of our nature,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Ape-Man Within (Hardcover)
Like the Chimpanzees, we descend from apes. Like the chimpanzees, we inherit ape-like behavioral tendencies. This scares a lot of people, so they attack any idea that suggests that we are anything other than a docile species, easily brainwashed into gentleness and conformity. The entire weight of human history says otherwise, and supports the conclusions of this book. A good book, but the insecure reader should avoid it.
3 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Simplistic view of our past,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Ape-Man Within (Hardcover)
The Ape-Man Within offers a simplistic view of our pre-historic past. Nothing is explained just presupposed. Readers should do better to take a look at writers like Alexander, R.D. Leakey, R. or Stephen Gould to understand something of our human nature and the way we evolved. Michael Olson.
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