Frans de Waal on Our Inner Ape


Primatologist Frans de Waal speaks on the ties that bind humans and our primate cousins

By Britt Peterson
(December 22, 2005)

Frans de Waal knows a lot about human nature because he knows a lot about apes. De Waal is the C.H. Chandler professor of Primate Behavior in the Emory University psychology department, and director of the Living Links Center. His work on the links between human nature and that of our primate cousins has given renewed attention to the question of what it is that makes us human.

Science & Theology News spoke to de Waal about his most recent book, Our Inner Ape.

What inspired you to write this book?

I have always wanted to write about human nature. Until now, I focused on other primates and left the parallels between their and our behavior to the readers' imagination. In Our Inner Ape, I am diving head on into human behavior, drawing plenty of parallels, but also explaining how different we are. This is the beauty of comparative research. It gets at both the similarities and differences.

I did not know when I wrote Our Inner Ape that Darwinism would — again — become a big issue in American public discourse. When will it ever stop? My book came at a fortuitous time when some people were claiming that we have nothing to do with monkeys, whereas I obviously claim that we are primates like any other.

How does this book fit into the field of science-and-religion?

I think the closest connection is when one looks at my chapter on kindness. All too often, we blame our bad characteristics on nature. The Katrina survivors in the Dome asked "Why have we been left behind like animals?" thus implying that only animals would do such a thing, whereas I would say that also our good side relates to primate evolution. We would not have empathy and reciprocity if we hadn't come from a long line of social animals. There are animals that do not leave the unfortunate behind. They take care of them, slow down for them. So, the Katrina survivors had it wrong. They should have asked why humans forgot about this primate ancestry of solidarity.

The parable of the Good Samaritan fits our primate nature, stressing care for others not from the book but from the heart. And so, I do believe there is a connection with religion as all religions in the world empathize solidarity with those in need.

For you, what is the most challenging part of writing?

The weeding out of parts that are unneeded. My first drafts are pretty elaborate, but then I need to condense. I hate writing that meanders or adds asides that have little to do with the topic. I am always looking for focus and simplicity. In addition, of course, I write in a non-native language, since my native language is Dutch. I have no trouble anymore writing in English. It adds to my focus [because] I don't know 100 synonyms for a particular word unless I cheat and look in my computer's thesaurus. This means that I am more likely to hesitate using particular expressions, compared to the native English author.

What is the most rewarding?

The most rewarding part is being read, obviously, because that is what it's all about. I manage to get my message out and notice this from the feedback I receive. To translate complex issues, sometimes rather abstract ones, into language that everyone can understand is both the challenge and the reward.

What advice would you give to new writers in the field?

Few scientists write popular books. They leave this to science writers. But scientists have a more intimate knowledge of the field and are in fact the better source. Any scientist who wants to write a popular book will need to know that not all of his or her peers will appreciate this [because] they feel it cheapens science, thus overlooking the fact that without popularizations no one will even know about their science, except a few insiders, and that the general public has no interest in most of the hot, controversial topics of the field. The sort of things that academics fight over are usually too detailed to explain to the general reader and not nearly as important as the larger implications of progress in the field. So, my advice is: know what you're getting into and distance yourself from academic controversies. Focus on the larger picture.

Britt Peterson is an editorial intern at Science & Theology News.