It is well known that apes in the wild offer spontaneous assistance to each other, defending against leopards, say, or consoling distressed companions with tender embraces. Frans de Waal apeassistancecompanion Change image and share on social
The enemy of science is not religion. Religion comes in endless shapes and forms... The true enemy is the substitution of thought, reflection, and curiosity with dogma. Frans de Waal curiositydogmaendless Change image and share on social
Personally, I think it is possible to build a society that is moral on a nonreligious basis, but the jury is still out on that. Frans de Waal basisbuildjury Change image and share on social
The thinking is that we started evolving language not by speaking but by gesturing. Frans de Waal evolvegesturelanguage Change image and share on social
The primate laugh is given in playful contexts, and as such has a strong similarity to the human laugh. Frans de Waal contexthumanlaugh Change image and share on social
The more self-aware an animal is, the more empathetic it tends to be. Frans de Waal animalawareempathetic Change image and share on social
There's a long tradition in Western thought that humans are not shackled by biology, whereas animals are pure instinct machines. Frans de Waal animalbiologyhuman Change image and share on social
Dogmatists have one advantage: they are poor listeners. Frans de Waal advantagedogmatistlistener Change image and share on social
If there is any form of contagion that is adaptive, it is the immediate response to the fear of others. If others are fearful, there may be good reason for you to be fearful too. Frans de Waal adaptivecontagionfear Change image and share on social
The role of inequity in society is grossly underestimated. Inequity is not good for your health, basically. Frans de Waal basicallygoodgrossly Change image and share on social
