Share <Embed>

Buy New

$11.83

List Price: $18.00
Save: $6.17 (34%)

FREE Shipping on orders over $25.

Usually ships within 1 to 4 weeks.

Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Turn on 1-Click ordering for this browser

Ship to:

Select a shipping address:

Buy Used

$9.95

FREE Shipping on orders over $25.

Used: Very Good | Details

Sold by StarWarez

Fulfilled by Amazon

Turn on 1-Click ordering for this browser

Added to

Unable to add item to List. Please try again.

Other Sellers on Amazon

Add to Cart

$9.75
+ $3.99 shipping

Sold by: BegoraBooks

Have one to sell? Sell on Amazon

Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See all 3 images

The Moral Animal: Why We Are, the Way We Are: The New Science of Evolutionary Psychology Paperback – August 29, 1995

by Robert Wright (Author)

235 customer reviews

See all 17 formats and editions Hide other formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Kindle

"Please retry"

$11.76

—

Hardcover

"Please retry"

—

$28.00

$6.00

Paperback

"Please retry"

$11.83

$9.75

$3.34

Audible, Unabridged

"Please retry"

$0.00

Free with your Audible trial

Save an extra $1.33 at checkout.

Are men literally born to cheat? Does monogamy actually serve women's interests? These are among the questions that have made The Moral Animal one of the most provocative science books in recent years. Wright unveils the genetic strategies behind everything from our sexual preferences to our office politics--as well as their implications for our moral codes and public policies. Illustrations.

The Moral Animal: Why We Are, the Way We Are: The New Science of Evolutionary Psychology

$11.83 FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Usually ships within 1 to 4 weeks. Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Frequently bought together

Total price: $40.19

Some of these items ship sooner than the others. Show details

Buy the selected items together

This item:The Moral Animal: Why We Are, the Way We Are: The New Science of Evolutionary Psychology by Robert Wright Paperback $11.83
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details
Why Buddhism is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment by Robert Wright Hardcover $16.32
May take an extra 1-2 days to ship.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details
The Evolution of God (Back Bay Readers' Pick) by Robert Wright Paperback $12.04
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details

Customers who bought this item also bought

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading.

Robert Wright

4

in Buddhism
Hardcover
$16.32
Robert Wright

218

in Religious History
Paperback
$12.04
Robert Wright

126

Paperback
$12.24
Matt Ridley

217

Paperback
$8.80
Bryan Kolb

6

Hardcover
$136.70
Robert Plomin

8

Hardcover
$75.00

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

An accessible introduction to the science of evolutionary psychology and how it explains many aspects of human nature. Unlike many books on the topic,which focus on abstractions like kin selection, this book focuses on Darwinian explanations of why we are the way we are--emotionally and morally. Wright deals particularly well with explaining the reasons for the stereotypical dynamics of the three big "S's:" sex, siblings, and society.

From Publishers Weekly

New Republic senior editor Wright's account of the latest trends in Darwinian theory unravels the evolutionary logic behind subjects ranging from friendship and romance to xenophobia and sibling rivalry.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product details

Paperback: 496 pages
Publisher: Vintage; Reprint edition (August 29, 1995)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0679763996
ISBN-13: 978-0679763994
Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 1.1 x 8.1 inches
Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 235 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,096 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Psychology & Counseling > Evolutionary Psychology
- #26 in Books > Science & Math > Evolution
- #34 in Books > Science & Math > Behavioral Sciences > Cognitive Psychology

Would you like to tell us about a lower price?
If you are a seller for this product, would you like to suggest updates through seller support?

NO_CONTENT_IN_FEATURE

Customer reviews

235

4.4 out of 5 stars

5 star		63%
4 star		20%
3 star		5%
2 star		7%
1 star		5%

Write a customer review

See all verified purchase reviews

Rated by customers interested in

What's this?

Psychology

4.5 out of 5 stars

Ethology Books

4.4 out of 5 stars

Evolution

4.8 out of 5 stars

Is this feature helpful?

Thank you for your feedback.

Top customer reviews

Great education, good read with a taste of author's personailty

Bywhjon February 16, 2011

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

A lot to learn as I didn't know much about evolutionary psychology specifically, I needed to read slowly. It is not exactly an easy read for a layperson like me but the author makes it very interesting and engaging by showing Darwin's own biographical facts as examples of evolutionary psychological theory and applications. He also is very skilled in incorporating multiple aspects--history, theory, ideology, science etc--and making good use out of all of them, for example, John Stuart Mill's "On Liberty" and Freud's "Civilization and its discontent". I think there are advantages of science, or books about sciece, written by journalists rather than scientists, maybe because they are not too dry(?) and textbook-like(?)--"The Age of Wonder" by Richard Holmes is another good example. He also points out some of the common erroneous conceptions and misapplications/exploitations of the science, absurdities of postmodern phenomena, such as some of our moral CODES (as opposed to MORALITY). When he does, Boy! he is SHARP, acerbic, poignant, and his style of unadorned intellectual criticism is hilarious! This book, this approach to human nature, though may not be without its own limitations, but certainly makes human nature worth exploring and ironically, and in spite of the cynicism, adds wonders. Now, I will have to read John Stuart Mill...again one book leading to 20 more books....rather evolutionary, isn't it? Literary proliferation? Maybe...

0CommentWas this review helpful to you?YesNo

Five Stars

ByKenny Won July 15, 2017

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

An excellent book that is so very timely.

0CommentWas this review helpful to you?YesNo

A unique insight into why we act the way we do.

ByAlexanderon August 29, 2013

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Evolutionary psychology as portrayed in this book can help us to understand the behavior of ourselves and others which sharper clarity regarding motives and intentions, while at the same time inspiring us to reach higher in our pursuit of moral development and a truly free and prosperous society. Tracing the origins of common human psychological patterns from the roots of our early evolutionary development, Robert Wright allows us to comprehend much we may have never suspected about ourselves, others, or how our humble primate origins have transformed the planet on which we live. Anyone with a deep interest in both human nature and the natural world couldn't go wrong reading this book. Love it. Five stars!!!

0CommentWas this review helpful to you?YesNo

The First Serious Answers to the 'Why's of Psychology

ByBob Steinon February 20, 2012

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

If aliens arrive and ask me what the heck is going on here with this whole human-race thing, I'll hand them this book. Exquisitely balanced and accessible tour of human psychology in light of Darwinian theories, i.e. REAL psychology.

The author uses a very entertaining and instructive device: explaining human morality using the specific guinea pig of Charles Darwin himself. Explaining Darwin's life and choices in terms and in depths possible only because of his (Darwin's) work. I'd like to think Darwin would be doubly pleased, professionally and personally: he was, it turns out, a supremely lovely man.

0Comment One person found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Interesting account of how we became who we are.

ByAtheenon August 19, 2001

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

The Moral Animal has a rather clever premise, namely that psychological evolution in humans has a Darwinian basis some of the tenants of which can be intuited, and that Darwin himself and the events of his life can be used as a type-test of validity. Most of Wright's proposals seemed entirely possible and all were interesting. Most interesting was the way that much of Darwin's history did in fact seem to bear out the author's point of view, although I suspect this was due in large part to Wright's careful selection of the details of Darwin's life used as evidence of his thesis!
One of the more curious of the book's proposals was that humans grieve by degree, and that they tend to grieve more intensely the loss of those who are approaching reproductive age. The author states that in a survey of individuals in Canada who were asked to rank their probable sense of loss according to the age of the deceased, it was found that the subjects would grieve less for the very young or the very old. It was found that the curve that arose from the data was a near fit for maturation curves of modern Canadians and an exact fit for that of the San people of South Africa. Wright pointed out that the San are living a life more like that in which the human animal evolved. He proposed that the loss of an individual who would just be starting to contribute to the gene pool would be a more significant loss than either the youngest or oldest individuals. Interesting. I'm not certain I would agree however. Having dealt with a number of grieving individuals over the years, I know that irrespective of the age of the deceased, the degree of loss that "might be felt" is often not the degree of loss that actually is felt. I also know from the experience of losing my beloved Great Dane Courageous recently, that humans are capable of intense grief over a non human member of their family, a creature definitely not capable of passing on their genetic heritage. I suspect the human psyche is far more complex than Wright's simple ABC of genetic fitness would have one believe.
The book is definitely worth reading, as it brings up a wide variety of interesting points about human behavior and some very plausible explanations for it.

0CommentWas this review helpful to you?YesNo

Dr. J

ByJ. Mccrayon January 10, 2002

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Mr. Wright's book should be considered required reading for anyone seeking insight into human (and animal) behavior. The Moral Animal begins with the increasingly popular theory that human evolution and behavior can be explained at the quantum level as well as, if not better than the macro-definable explanations with which we are all familiar. Additionally, the author provides excellent argument to support assertions that human behavior can be explained by evolutionary (or rather, co-evolutionary) forces.
The neo-Darwinian model presented accounts for differences in general gender behavior and provides a format for policies that could work to solve some of our social problems. The explanations of "sex" wars, and why males and females have different life strategies are clear and strongly argued. The book offers an understandable explanation of where we came from, an insight on where we might be heading and reasons for why we are (historically) where we are now.

0Comment 2 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

why we are like we are

ByAmazon Customeron July 2, 2014

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

If you want to understand why we are like we are without lying to ourselves, this is the book ( or at least one of the best ones ).

0Comment 3 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Customer images

See all customer images

Most recent customer reviews

Five Stars

Love this book! Definitely recommend this read!

Published 7 days ago by Nathalia Calderon

Not worth the time

Words cannot describe how much I did NOT enjoy reading this book. I had to read it as it was in a series of books related to a certain topic that is relevant to my research.Read more

Published 2 months ago by Callofduty62

It is amazing! I definitely want my kids to read it

This book changed my perception and later on defined my view on actions of people! It is amazing! I definitely want my kids to read it.Read more

Published 2 months ago by Maya

Multidisciplinary Intrique

Through careful deliberation, Wright weaves evolutionary psychology, sociology and religion together in a philosophical argument to read.Read more

Published 4 months ago by Phillip Cox

Mildly interesting and not up-to-date

Though it is more speculative than some other areas of inquiry, I enjoy learning about evolutionary psychology. However, this book took the joy out of it for me.Read more

Published 6 months ago by Please_Buy_These_Books

A comprehensive introduction to the evolutionary psychology

The book is a comprehensive introduction to the topic of evolutionary psychology. Through the work and life of Charles Darwin, the author explores all the essential aspects of...Read more

Published 6 months ago by Daniil

Read this before passing judgment.

This book puts together a lot of the latest understanding of neurology and sociobiology, and shows why humans evolved into what they are.

Published 6 months ago by Mark LaJoie

Great book, good quality!

Got the book fast and was in great shape.

Published 7 months ago by Jose O. Cuevas Jr.

Presumptuous, shortsighted and heterosexist in the extreme.

Although the subject of this title, evolutionary psychology, fascinates me, I found this effort to be sophomoric in the extreme.Read more

Published 7 months ago by christopher morgenstern

better able to understand their fellows

Astute and entertaining look at evolutionary psychology, a book that has aged incredibly well in the past two decades and is still worth a reader's time.Read more

Published 9 months ago by S. Yates

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

This shopping feature will continue to load items. In order to navigate out of this carousel please use your heading shortcut key to navigate to the next or previous heading.

Robert Wright

4

in Buddhism
Hardcover
$16.32
Robert Wright

218

in Religious History
Paperback
$12.04
Robert Wright

126

Paperback
$12.24
Robert Wright

5

Paperback
15 offers from $13.99
Matt Ridley

217

Paperback
$8.80
Daniel Lieberman

315

Paperback
$10.68

Pages with related products. See and discover other items: moral theory philosophy, moral philosophy, animal evolution, animal biology, animal genetics, animal behavior

Buy New $11.83

Turn on 1-Click ordering for this browser

or

or

Buy Used $9.95

Turn on 1-Click ordering for this browser

Sorry, there was a problem.

Sorry, there was a problem.

Other Sellers on Amazon

The Moral Animal: Why We Are, the Way We Are: The New Science of Evolutionary Psychology Paperback – August 29, 1995

Frequently bought together

Customers who bought this item also bought

Sponsored products related to this item (What's this?)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

From Publishers Weekly

Product details

Customer reviews

Top customer reviews

Customer images

Most recent customer reviews

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Buy New

$11.83

Buy Used

$9.95