Our Inner Ape Audiobook By Frans de Waal cover art

Our Inner Ape

A Leading Primatologist Explains Why We Are Who We Are

 Preview

Audible Standard 30-day free trial

Try Standard free
Select 1 audiobook a month from our entire collection of 1M+ titles.
Yours as long as you’re a member.
Get unlimited access to bingeable podcasts.
Standard auto renews for $8.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Our Inner Ape

By: Frans de Waal
Narrated by: Alan Sklar
Try Standard free

$8.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $20.73

Buy for $20.73

We have long attributed man's violent, aggressive, competitive nature to his animal ancestry. But what if we are just as given to cooperation, empathy, and morality by virtue of our genes? What if our behavior actually makes us apes? What kind of apes are we?

From a scientist and writer E.O. Wilson has called "the world authority on primate social behavior" comes a fascinating look at the most provocative aspects of human nature: power, sex, violence, kindness, and morality, through our two closest cousins in the ape family. For nearly 20 years, Frans de Waal has worked with both the famously aggressive chimpanzee and the lesser-known, egalitarian, erotic, matriarchal bonobo, two species whose DNA is nearly identical to that of humans.

De Waal shows the range of human behavior through his study of chimpanzees and bonobos, drawing from their personalities, relationships, power struggles, and hijinx important insights about our human behavior. The result is an engrossing and surprising narrative that reveals what their behavior can teach us about our own nature.

©2005 Frans de Waal (P)2005 Tantor Media, Inc. Social Sciences Evolution & Genetics Thought-Provoking Anthropology Biological Sciences Social justice Evolution Science Psychology Parenting & Families Anatomy & Physiology Psychology & Mental Health Education Parents & Adult Children

Critic reviews

"De Waal's most hopeful message is that peaceful behavior can be learned....[An] important and illuminating book." (The New York Times Book Review)
"Readers might be surprised at how much these apes and their stories resonate with their own lives, and may well be left with an urge to spend a few hours watching primates themselves at the local zoo." (Publishers Weekly)
Fascinating Insights • Thought-provoking Content • Excellent Narration • Accessible Science • Illuminating Comparisons

Highly rated for:

All stars
Most relevant
Whether or not you believe that humans and apes are leaves hanging from the same branch on the tree of evolution, this book will fascinate and surprise you. The behavior of bonobos is so different from humans - its hard to imagine living as they do but we could benefit greatly from adopting a few more of their traits - they are definitely lovers and not fighters. Yes, the interpretation of the behaviors of apes and the conclusions of the author can be disputed - but questioning these things is part of being human so it all works out in the end.

A great mix of science and interpretation

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Any additional comments?

I've really been enjoying listening to the audiobok version of

Human, chimp and bonobo societies are alike

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Really good book. i definately want to learn more about our distant cousins. his critique of the selfish gene made me think he just read the cover. if the sg book was called something else like gene centered perspective he probably had used to support his arguments.

good book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Have fun and learn all about the ape family, including chimps, bonobos and homo sapiens.

The information about the bonobo, the unknown ape, is well worth the price of the book.

A great way to learn about evolution and primate behavior.

We are bipedal Apes: part chimp; part bonobo

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This book had me captivated. The author's passion about his subject was contagious. I learned a great deal about primate behavior and annoyed my friends because it's all I wanted to talk about!

fascinating read

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews