• Why We Hate

  • Understanding the Roots of Human Conflict
  • By: Michael Ruse
  • Narrated by: Mike Cooper
  • Length: 6 hrs and 54 mins
  • 3.0 out of 5 stars (2 ratings)

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Why We Hate  By  cover art

Why We Hate

By: Michael Ruse
Narrated by: Mike Cooper
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Publisher's summary

An insightful and probing exploration of the contradiction between humans' enormous capacity for hatred and their evolutionary development as a social species

Why We Hate tackles a pressing issue of both longstanding interest and fresh relevance: why a social species like Homo sapiens should nevertheless be so hateful to itself. We go to war and are prejudiced against our fellow human beings. We discriminate on the basis of nationality, class, race, sexual orientation, religion, and gender. Why are humans at once so social and so hateful to each other? In this book, Michael Ruse looks at scientific understandings of human hatred, particularly Darwinian evolutionary theory.

Combining rigorous argument with an engaging and accessible style, Ruse makes frequent use of historical examples, examining the history of two World Wars, and the US offensive against Iraq. He also gives many pertinent and up-to-date examples of prejudice, including the significance of Brexit and the systemic racism that lead to the Black Lives Matter movement. Ruse pays special attention to egregious cases of hatred, such as the treatment of Jews by the Third Reich, and to pressing contemporary issues, including the status of women. Ruse concludes with constructive suggestions for ways in which we might reconcile the contradictory aspects of our nature.

©2022 Oxford University Press (P)2022 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

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A very interesting topic

a book by my old department head. Michael is always opinionated and always interesting. a fantastic read!

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Inadequate

With respect to content, author seems to buy into “noble savage” ideology. Recent archeological data regarding hunter gathers and agriculture is ignored, warfare amongst ancient societies is not fully discussed, and psychological factors like psychopathy are not adequately explored. Furthermore, narrator plus text sets a flippant, unserious tone. Not recommended if you want to learn about this subject.

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