The Moral Animal

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

By: Robert Wright

Narrated by: Greg Thornton

Length: 16 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

©1995 Robert Wright (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"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." (Amazon.com review)

Too verbose

More a history of Darwin than why we are who we are. Still insightful though.

Amazing read

This is a very well rounded and comprehensive look atvthe Darvinism with much of propaganda. Just love it

Amazing story of a good man

Well written fact based, scientific story of one of our greats. Immensely enlightening both on the man and the science of evolutionary psychology.

enriching

this is a very thorough thought adventure into the deepest motivations of human beings, victoriously cross examining these thoughts with very clearly explained human behaviors. my biggest takeaway is how much more space for wonderful complexity I have after hearing these scrupulously articulated discussions. the reader is the center focus as the authors level of care in thought and examination allows clarity to emerge from clarity rather than attempting to persuade the reader. this book has the purpose of asking questions and eliminating improbable realities rather than attempting to comfort itself with rushed explanations. this book does not answer questions, it eliminates bad answers with overwhelmingly satisfying clarity and as such does a huge amount of legwork for the reader. I can say with confidence that my approach to human interactions has been pricelessly streamlined. I do not have answers more than I did before, I have less stupid questions than I did before. and that is what makes this book a treasure worth investing in and keeping to return in the future. my thinking is more clear now. I have less answers, but significantly less dumb questions. that is the real value of a book like this. wasting less of your life. period.

Exceptional and Fascinating Book

I finally understand the gigantic leap of Darwins concept and found so fascinating the evolving understanding of what we are and perhaps can be.

Wonderful and Insightful!

This is a profoundly insightful book that explores the inner evolutionary workings of the human being in regard to what we term moral behavior, particularly in the sexual realm, as Wright sees the reproductive urges and needs of the male and female animal as being perhaps the greatest inner (and thus often highly subconscious) motivators of almost all "moral/immoral" behavior and views them as the very source of the need for moral systems to start with. A fascinating read and a great introduction to the growing realm of evolutionary psychology.

It's like 2 different books in one

What made the experience of listening to The Moral Animal the most enjoyable?

The first half of this book is exciting, provocative and excellently argued. I was amazed about how the evolutionary psychology discussed could mirror my life. I had decided to buy a kindle version as well to read over. But the 2nd half was a complete disappointment. Boring, insipid and more a biography of Darwin's life, not something I had signed up for. Also the theories were now discussed in such a way as to fit into Darwin's life retrospectively.

That's why it's 2 books; the first half mind-blowing, the 2nd, contrived and boring. But just for the first half, the book is worth 4 stars.

Would you recommend The Moral Animal to your friends? Why or why not?

I would, only for the 1st half

Did Greg Thornton do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

There were no characters

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, the 1st half was un-put-down-able

Excellent synthesis of our evolutional psychology

Very interesting subject related from the standpoint of Darwin's story, which makes it even more compelling. loved it!

The Number One Book I Recommend to Friends

Would you consider the audio edition of The Moral Animal to be better than the print version?

Yes. Wright deals with weighty topics, and the narrator of the audiobook makes the text easier to parse.

What other book might you compare The Moral Animal to and why?

Wright's book Evolution of God is similar in that it tackles a very broad topic from a modern perspective.

What about Greg Thornton’s performance did you like?

His natural cadence made Wright's intellectually weighty prose readily understandable.

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

Wright's account of the members of Poseidon's cult, finding each other as trustworthy insiders in the wide, strange world of the Roman Empire.

Any additional comments?

Wright is a wide-ranging scholar and writer who approaches the biggest issues a secular writer can: the nature of humanity and the scope of history. This book is more about the nature of humanity, while his book Evolution of God is more about the scope of history. Moral Animal is from the 90s, but the science in it is all still current. Wright is insightful and the narrator is flawless.

Showing its age

While a lot of the content is timeless a lot of the conclusions drawn are products of American thinking i of the 1980s (when the ideas published in the 1990s were clearly formulated).

It's not a timeless book and the morality it tacitly endorses was highly questionable at the time and seriously dated with the passage of time showing it is not the 'bright sunny uplands' that the author seems to believe they would be. We tried this reversion to old thinking and it was not good.

Read it and learn from it but don't take the suggestions as well founded now we have 20-20 hindsight of where that idea set takes us.