Baboon Metaphysics: The Evolution of a Social Mind


Dorothy L. Cheney - 2007
    Baboons live in groups of up to 150, including a handful of males and eight or nine matrilineal families of females. Such numbers force baboons to form a complicated mix of short-term bonds for mating and longer-term friendships based on careful calculations of status and individual need.           But Baboon Metaphysics is concerned with much more than just baboons’ social organization—Cheney and Seyfarth aim to fully comprehend the intelligence that underlies it. Using innovative field experiments, the authors learn that for baboons, just as for humans, family and friends hold the key to mitigating the ill effects of grief, stress, and anxiety.           Written with a scientist’s precision and a nature-lover’s eye, Baboon Metaphysics gives us an unprecedented and compelling glimpse into the mind of another species.  “The vivid narrative is like a bush detective story.”—Steven Poole, Guardian “Baboon Metaphysics is a distillation of a big chunk of academic lives. . . . It is exactly what such a book should be—full of imaginative experiments, meticulous scholarship, limpid literary style, and above all, truly important questions.”—Alison Jolly, Science “Cheney and Seyfarth found that for a baboon to get on in life involves a complicated blend of short-term relationships, friendships, and careful status calculations. . . . Needless to say, the ensuing political machinations and convenient romantic dalliances in the quest to become numero uno rival the bard himself.”—Science News “Cheney and Seyfarth’s enthusiasm is obvious, and their knowledge is vast and expressed with great clarity. All this makes Baboon Metaphysics a captivating read. It will get you thinking—and maybe spur you to travel to Africa to see it all for yourself.”—Asif A. Ghazanfar, Nature “Through ingenious playback experiments . . . Cheney and Seyfarth have worked out many aspects of what baboons used their minds for, along with their limitations. Reading a baboon’s mind affords an excellent grasp of the dynamics of baboon society. But more than that, it bears on the evolution of the human mind and the nature of human existence.”—Nicholas Wade, New York Times

Locked in Time: Animal Behavior Unearthed in 50 Extraordinary Fossils


Dean R. Lomax - 2021
    But we long to know more: how did these animals actually behave? We are fascinated by the daily lives of our fellow creatures--how they reproduce and raise their young, how they hunt their prey or elude their predators, and more. What would it be like to see prehistoric animals as they lived and breathed?From dinosaurs fighting to their deaths to elephant-sized burrowing ground sloths, this book takes readers on a global journey deep into the earth's past. Locked in Time showcases fifty of the most astonishing fossils ever found, brought together in five fascinating chapters that offer an unprecedented glimpse at the real-life behaviors of prehistoric animals. Dean R. Lomax examines the extraordinary direct evidence of fossils captured in the midst of everyday action, such as dinosaurs sitting on their eggs like birds, Jurassic flies preserved while mating, a T. rex infected by parasites. Each fossil, he reveals, tells a unique story about prehistoric life. Many recall behaviors typical of animals familiar to us today, evoking the chain of evolution that links all living things to their distant ancestors. Locked in Time allows us to see that fossils are not just inanimate objects: they can record the life stories of creatures as fully alive as any today. Striking and scientifically rigorous illustrations by renowned paleoartist Bob Nicholls bring these breathtaking moments to life.

The Story of Us


Tim Urban - 2019
    I’m Tim. I’m a single cell in society’s body. U.S. society, to be specific.So let me explain why we’re here.As a writer and a generally thinky person, I’ve spent a lot of my life thinking about the society I live in, and societies in general. I’ve always imagined society as a kind of giant human—a living organism like each of us, only much bigger.When you’re a single cell in the body of a giant, it’s hard to understand what the giant’s doing, or why it is the way it is, because you can’t really zoom out and look at the whole thing all at once. But we do our best.The thing is, when I’ve recently tried to imagine what society might look like, I haven’t really been picturing this:Giant stick figure: "I am grown up."Based on what I see around me, in person and online, it seems like my society is actually more like this:Giant stick figure throwing a giant tantrum because their chocolate ice cream fell on the ground.Individual humans grow older as they age—but it kind of seems like the giant human I live in has been getting more childish each year that goes by.So I decided to write a blog post about this. But then something else happened.When I told people I was planning to write a post about society, and the way people are acting, and the way the media is acting, and the way the government is acting, and the way everyone else is acting, people kept saying the same thing to me.Don’t do it. Don’t touch it. Write about something else. Anything else. It’s just not worth it.They were right. With so many non-controversial topics to write about, why take on something so loaded and risk alienating a ton of readers? I listened to people’s warnings, and I thought about moving on to something else, but then I was like, “Wait what? I live inside a giant and the giant is having a six-year-old meltdown in the grocery store candy section and that’s a not-okay thing for me to talk about?”It hit me that what I really needed to write about was that—about why it’s perilous to write about society."

How to Judge People by What They Look Like


Edward Dutton - 2018
    In this highly readable analysis of the academic research, Dutton shows that we are evolved to judge people’s psychology from what they look like, we can accurately work out people’s personality and intelligence from how they look, and (quite often) we have to if we want to survive. Body shape, hairiness, eye width, finger length, even how big a woman’s breasts are . . . Dutton shows that these, and much else, are windows into personality, intelligence, or both. Once you read How to Judge People by What They Look Like, you’ll never look at people the same again.

What Your Husband Isn't Telling You: A Guided Tour of a Man's Body, Soul, and Spirit


David Murrow - 2012
    What's going on inside his man-brain? What secrets is he keeping? What is he afraid of? Why is he so obsessed with (fill-in-the-blank)? Why do men see things so differently? And what about his spiritual life (or lack of it)?David Murrow leads women on a groundbreaking tour of a man's heart, mind, and soul. More than just a book about what men think, it explores the deep forces that determine what they say, do, and believe--secrets most men do not give voice to. Readers will be surprised, fascinated, and encouraged by what they find.

Jane Goodall: 40 Years at Gombe


Jennifer Lindsey - 1999
    65 full-color and 30 duotone photos.Contents:Foreword / Gilbert M. Grosvenor --A Message from Jane Goodall --The Beginning --The Chimpanzees --The Realization --The People --The Promise --The Jane Goodall Institute.

Machiavelli Mindset: How To Conquer Your Enemies, Achieve Audacious Goals & Live Without Limits From The Prince (Psychological Warfare, The Prince, Mindset)


R. Shaw - 2016
     Here's A Preview Of What Machiavelli Mindset Contains... An Introduction to Machiavelli Seeing the World through Machiavelli’s Eyes Getting Over The Guilt Moving Above And Beyond Conventional Thinking Machiavelli's Thoughts On Generosity Compassion Vs. Cruelty (Is It Better To Be Loved Or Feared?) What Machiavelli Says About Honesty How To Achieve Success The Machiavellian Way The Qualities Of A Great Leader How to Avoid Attracting Hatred and Other Lessons from the Prince And Much, Much More! Download Your Copy Now And Get Ahead Today!

Our Political Nature: The Evolutionary Origins of What Divides Us


Avi Tuschman - 2013
    It shows how political orientations across space and time arise from three clusters of measurable personality traits. These clusters entail opposing attitudes toward tribalism, inequality, and differing perceptions of human nature. Together, these traits are by far the most powerful cause of left-right voting, even leading people to regularly vote against their economic interests.      As this book explains, our political personalities also influence our likely choice of a mate, and shape society's larger reproductive patterns. Most importantly of all, it tells the evolutionary stories of these crucial personality traits, which stem from epic biological conflicts.     Based on dozens of exciting new insights from primatology, genetics, neuroscience, and anthropology, this groundbreaking work brings core concepts to life through current news stories and personalities. For instance, readers will meet Glenn Beck and Hugo Chavez and come to understand the underlying evolutionary forces they represent. By blending serious research with relevant contemporary examples, Our Political Nature casts important light onto the ideological clashes that so dangerously divide and imperil our world today.

The Murderer Next Door: Why the Mind Is Designed to Kill


David M. Buss - 2005
    The Murderer Next Door is a riveting look into the dark underworld of the human psyche, an exploration of when and why we kill and what might push any one of us over the edge. A leader in the innovative field of evolutionary psychology, David Buss conducted an unprecedented set of studies investigating the underlying motives and circumstances of murders, from the bizarre outlier cases of serial killers to those of the friendly next-door neighbor who one day kills his wife.Reporting on findings that are often startling and counter-intuitive, he puts forth a bold new general theory of homicide, arguing that the human psyche has evolved specialized adaptations whose function is to kill. Taking readers through the surprising twists and turns of the evolutionary logic of murder, he explains exactly when each of us is most at risk, both of being murdered and of becoming a murderer. Featuring gripping storytelling about specific murder cases, The Murderer Next Door will be necessary reading for those fascinated by books on profiling, lovers of true crime and murder mysteries, and readers intrigued by the inner workings of the human mind.

The Well-Dressed Ape: A Natural History of Myself


Hannah Holmes - 2008
    Book by Holmes, Hannah

Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home & Other Unexplained Powers of Animals


Rupert Sheldrake - 1999
    After five years of extensive research involving thousands of people who have pets and work with animals, Dr. Sheldrake proves conclusively what many pet owners already know: there is a strong connection between humans and animals that defies present-day scientific understanding. This remarkable book deserves a place next to the most beloved and valuable books on animals, including When Elephants Weep, Dogs Never Lie About Love, and The Hidden Life of Dogs.

How to Stay Focused: 10 Untold Remarkably Simple Techniques to Control Your Mind and Stay Focused


Stephens Hyang - 2015
    Such was his faith in the power of the mind that he was able to conclude that what you think, you become.The mind is a powerful thing to have. The thoughts that run through your mind shape and become your reality. You are one huge magnet. You attract into your life the energy that vibrates in the same frequency that your thoughts are vibrating into. If you think negative thoughts, then you will also attract the same level of negative energy. If you allow positive thoughts to flow through your mind, then positive things will also come your way.The life that you are living now is the product of your thoughts. Your mind is so powerful that it can create and destroy things at a blink of an eye. Everything begins and ends in your mind. You can give it the power to enslave you or you can empower yourself to control it.Be mindful of your own thoughts. Learn to select them the way that you would select the clothes that you would wear. You can’t control life from happening but you can control your mind and the thoughts that run through it and once you do, you will begin to gain control over your life. This book will help you understand why you have been losing focus. It was written in a light manner to help you better grasp the reasons for lack of focus in your life. There are no complex theories and concepts to comprehend. This book was written for you to help you find your way back to you. It was written to light your way towards your dreams and aspirations. It was written to give you the courage to regain control of your life.Give yourself the gift of focus by reading this book. Allow yourself to break free from your fears and apprehension. Learn how to take charge of your life.Most of all, this book will show you ten easy and simple ways to control your mind. As you begin to regain control of your life, this book will be your guide, your mentor and your friend. It will walk you through each step as if you were talking to a life coach yourself. It will help you overcome the challenges that will come your way. It will not just tell what to do to stay focused, it will also show you how.Dive into this book with an open mind. Allow it to help you gain control over your life. Let it reveal to you the things that are keeping you from achieving your true potential. Let it show you the way towards success, happiness and fulfillment. Allow this book to speak to you. Let it empower you. You are brought into this world for a reason. Do not let anything or anyone distract you from your true destiny. You are what you think you are. Don’ t ever doubt that. This book will help you see that.

Animal Physiology


Richard W. Hill - 1989
    Its full-colour illustration program includes many novel, visually effective features to help students learn.

Other Lives, Other Selves: A Jungian Psychotherapist Discovers Past Lives


Roger J. Woolger - 1987
    Roger J. Woolger, a graduate of Oxford University and a certified Jungian analyst, reveals an exciting psychotherapeutic technique that produces astoundingly beneficial emotional and physical results--whether you believe in reincarnation as a literal or symbolic phenomenon.Drawing on both Western science and Eastern spirituality, Dr. Woolger shows how patients have unlocked the secrets of their innermost memories--the often self-destructive cycles that are repeated life after life--to overcome the insecurity, depression, guilt, inhibition, family dysfunction, and physical illness that they have inherited from their past lives. A lucid, compelling account of a revolutionary therapeutic technique, Other Lives, Other Selves offers an alternative path to self-improvement and self-enlightenment that addresses the whole person: mind, body, and spirit."An important and powerful book . . . fascinating."--Journal of Regression Therapy

Inside Animal Minds: The New Science of Animal Intelligence


Virginia Morell - 2012
    She introduces you to an African gray parrot named Alex, a bonobo named Kanzi, and a border collie named Betsy. Each of these animals tells us something interesting about the way they perceive and manipulate their world. The article also looks at what scientists are learning about the intelligence of dolphins and crows, beyond mere communication.   In “Almost Human,” Mary Roach takes us to the savannahs of Senegal to meet a group of 34 chimpanzees, whose behavior and social structures have given scientists some important clues about the nature of their communication and intelligence.   In “The Genius of Swarms,” Peter Miller looks at the collective behavior of ants, bees, and other insects for what they can tell us about social organization and how sometimes intelligence lies outside of the individual brain. This article served as the basis for his book, The Smart Swarm: How Understanding Flocks, Schools, and Colonies Can Make Us Better at Communicating, Decision Making, and Getting Things Done.