The Controversial Classic of Man's Origins
We are a lot more ape than we like to think... That phrase always comes to mind when I think of this controversial work by Desmond Morris that explains man, his actions and origins, as risen from more animalistic beginnings. I stumbled across this book in my university library when I was working towards my degree in biology. This book has always stuck in my mind. Even now I’m kicking myself for not owning a copy! Whether or not you agree with all that is presented therein, it will give you plenty to ponder over. In fact, I learned more theory and gained more interest in the field from this one book than I gleaned from many of my university-level biology classes.
Zoologist Desmond Morris considers humans as being simply another animal species in this classic book first published in 1967. Here is the Naked Ape at his most primal in love, at work, at war. Meet man as he really is: relative to the apes, stripped of his veneer as we see him courting, making love, sleeping, socializing, grooming, playing. The Naked Ape takes its place alongside Darwin’s Origin of the Species, presenting man not as a fallen angel, but as a risen ape, remarkable in his resilience, energy and imagination, yet an animal nonetheless, in danger of forgetting his origins.
With its penetrating insights on mans beginnings, sex life, habits and our astonishing bonds to the animal kingdom, The Naked Ape is a landmark, at once provocative, compelling and timeless.
