Beasts

What Animals Can Teach Us About the Origins of Good Evil

By: Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson

Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini

Length: 5 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

Best-selling 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.

There are two supreme predators on the planet with the most complex brains in nature: humans and orcas. In the 20th century alone, one of these animals killed 200 million members of its own species, the other killed none. Jeffrey Masson’s fascinating new book begins here: There is something different about us. In his previous best sellers, Masson has shown what animals can teach us about our own emotions - about love (dogs), contentment (cats), grief (elephants), among others. But animals have much to teach us about the 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. Yet nothing could be further from the truth. Animals, at least predators, kill to survive, indeed, but there is nothing in the annals of animal aggression remotely equivalent to the violence of humankind. 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 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.

©2014 Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"If the argument of this audiobook sounds gloomy, even misanthropic, the warmth of Edoardo Ballerini's narration quickly dispels that impression." (AudioFile)

simple, but powerful

Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson lays it all out in an elegant fashion. While I'm not sure I agree with his point of view about the impact of domestication and agriculture on our proclivity for evil, he backs up most of his ideas with strong thinking and solid research.

Changed my life...

What did you love best about Beasts?

Constantly interesting. Makes me examine my habbits and morals.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Not applicable

Which character – as performed by Edoardo Ballerini – was your favorite?

N/a

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Cried

Any additional comments?

I want so much to discuss this book.

Ideas to make you think

Where does Beasts rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Among the best. More for the material than the fact it was an audiobook, but the material calls into question what society has accepted as normal.

Have you listened to any of Edoardo Ballerini’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I haven't.

This one is a MUST!!! Thought provoking....

Fascinating culmination of comparative human/animal data. A MUST listen for all interested in altruism and a multi-species comparative beginning with a true and riveting story of a crocodile attack leading us to question humans as prey.
I have listened to this audio twice and strongly recommend it for all above age 12.
Parents this is a fantastic, thought provoking and educational listen for the whole family!!

Challenging Point of View

Would you listen to Beasts again? Why?

Parts of It. There is a lot of information presented in the book.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The description of how bulls are prepared for bull fights was very informative. I had no idea that bulls were put at such a tremendous disadvantage and treated so poorly before the event.

Any additional comments?

I think the author puts forward an interesting idea about the root of all problems in the animal kingdom. The hypothesis put forward is that humans barbaric treatment of each other, the animals we use for food, and the destruction of habitat cause animals to behave more violently than they normally would. There are facts and conjecture presented next to each other and it is difficult to know which is which. The author seems skeptical about some scientific studies (maybe with good reason) and then completely credulous about some fantastic claims of animal benevolence. I do think this book is worth listening to as it will most likely challenge your point of view; however, I think the author over-reaches in making his argument.

Fantastic!!!!!

I have never been so touched and enlightened. There is so much truth delivered here. I would highly recommend this book.

Loaded but Thought Provoking

What made the experience of listening to Beasts the most enjoyable?

Dripping with 'I am a vegan therefore I am better than you' subtext, this book inconsistently applies high standards. Expecting much from others and not always holding itself to the same. Highly rational in places, it embraces spiritual claptrap in others. Appropriately anthropomorphic in places, this book is then critical of others who have, albeit less sensibly, attempted the same. Despite the above this is a good thought provoking book. It is well written and well read, and brings life to many interesting facts from an eclectic variety of places. It's a good listen!

Which scene was your favorite?

The description of Peter Benchley's revision of his attitude to sharks and his admission of past ignorance is inspiring and noteworthy. But, many 'scenes' are compelling and hold one's attention even when they provoke a bit of cognitive dissonance.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Outrageous attacks on Charles Darwin border on the bitter, and apply a moral relativism and arrogance usually reserved for the other side of campus. It glosses over some of the less palatable aspects of real world biology, and appears to lean towards how the author wishes the world to be rather than a dispassionate look at how life is.

Any additional comments?

I recommend you listen!

eye opening

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Very interesting to listen to. This audio book gave me a new respect for animals and how we can learn from them.

Opinion piece without clear direction

Great idea, terrible delivery. I wish the summary had stated that this was an opinion vs a thesis or fact driven conclusion. The book is a long rambling showing off how well read the author is. He often contradicts himself with quotes and chooses quotes from fiction sources.

This book made me hungry for a juicy burger!

Any additional comments?

Aside from a couple of good points, I found this feel good introspective knee-jerk of a book to be way over the top in Uber liberalism. Sorry, but I don't hug trees or talk to caterpillars, I eat animals as my ancient ancestors intended, And I don't feel bad about it! That doesn't mean I want to hurt animals or cause them to suffer either? No, so where was this middle ground?

If you believe that animals are people too, thus deserve all the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as you do...well then this is exactly what you need to cure excessively stiff knees.

A cringeworthy spectacle complete with a mousy British accent.