Male bonobos really don't fit the human male ideal. Frans de Waal bonobosfithuman Change image and share on social
Future benefits rarely figure in the minds of animals. Frans de Waal animalbenefitfigure Change image and share on social
I was raised Catholic. Not just a little bit Catholic, like my wife, Catherine. When she was young, many Catholics in France already barely went to church, except for the big three: baptism, marriage, and funeral. And only the middle one was by choice. Frans de Waal baptismbarelybig 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
Darwin wasn't just provocative in saying that we descend from the apes - he didn't go far enough. We are apes in every way, from our long arms and tailless bodies to our habits and temperament. Frans de Waal apearmbody Change image and share on social
Chimps don't have language. Humans actively instruct others about how things should be done. Chimpanzees probably pick up cultural traditions by observation. Frans de Waal activelychimpchimpanzee Change image and share on social
What is the evolutionary value of blushing? It seems not to be to our advantage to do it, to involuntarily reveal our inner emotions. If we're trying to manipulate or lie, actions in furtherance of individual goals as opposed to the goals of others, blushing would not seem to be helpful. And yet everyone blushes, except the psychopath. Frans de Waal actionadvantageblush share on social
Popular culture bombards us with examples of animals being humanized for all sorts of purposes, ranging from education to entertainment to satire to propaganda. Walt Disney, for example, made us forget that Mickey is a mouse, and Donald a duck. George Orwell laid a cover of human societal ills over a population of livestock. Frans de Waal animalbombardculture share on social
Chimpanzees, typically, kiss and embrace after fights. They first make eye contact from a distance to see the mood of the others. Then they approach and kiss and embrace. Frans de Waal approachchimpanzeecontact Change image and share on social
Deep down, creationists realize they will never win factual arguments with science. This is why they have construed their own science-like universe, known as Intelligent Design, and eagerly jump on every tidbit of information that seems to go their way. Frans de Waal argumentconstruecreationist share on social