Through a Window by Jane Goodall
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Book Reviews of Through a Window
Book Review: "man is more capable of bad than good"- Machiavelli
Summary: 5 Stars
Jane Goodall's study of chimpanzee behavior and the fact that human and chimpanzee DNA only differ by over 1% shows the fact that humans do have human nature, or to be precise human biological nature. It confirms that most humans all over the world do have more tendency of doing bad than good. Even thou Machiavelli was referring only to people of his region, what he had observed is actually a "sample population",if we use statistics,of most people all over the world. Stephen Jay Gould argued in the introduction of "in the shadow of man" that we cannot say that we now know the essential and ineluctable darkness of human nature as others claim (obviously he was talking about the work of his rival Richard Dawkins, who wrote his findings in "The Selfish Gene")because what Jane Goodall saw in her first 30 years in Gombe only showed the whole panoply of chimpness, that this can only emphasize the far vaster range of capacities (for both good and evil)that humans possess.
But has Stephen Jay Gould studied the written history of the human race for the last 5,000 years? if he did, didn't he saw the patterns of human behavior for the last 5,000 years that was obviously tending more towards the bad than the good? can it be said that human behavior for the last 5,000 years is just a product of cultures all over the globe? or isn't it obvious that our human biological nature has something to do with it also? shouldn't we ask this question, that even thou there is culture all over the globe, why did humans have a pattern of tendency to do one thing instead of the reverse of that (which is mainly more towards the bad than the good), for the last 5,000 years? because we must admit if we really don't want to do something, then after a while we will rebel from doing that something, for we can't take it anymore. But the last 5,000 years clearly showed that we are more motivated by our human biological nature, than by culture.
Some people might even claim that the last 5,000 years of human history is not really that bad, but more towards the good, because historians and history books only record major events like wars, and conquest of people. That history does not record the day to day lives of humans for the last 5,000 years. But haven't we seen enough evidence that the day to day occurences in our world today, has also happened in the day to day lives of people back then? like rape, murders, thefts, bullying of powerless people, abuses of all sorts, have been happening since the dawn of man. This bad things that happen in humans day to day lives do happen, its just that we don't hear about them. For these things happen all over the world and not concentrated in one area. If its happening in our everyday lives now, its likely that its been happening since ancient times in the day to day lives of ancient people. They just don't know that it happens everyday, for they do not hear of information from distant lands, since again, events like these are not concentrated in one area, but is scattered all over the globe.
So if bad things happen in day to day lives of people all over the world since ancient times, then wouldn't that accumulate to evil? isn't it obvious that we live in an evil world, for bad things happen everyday, we just don't have a clue that it happens day to day in our lives for the information is hidden from us by people, or the information is just beyond our reach. Its like what Richard Dawkins said, "just because you don't like the idea that you live in a harsh and ruthless world, doesn't mean that the reality of it could be denied". Its not a pessimistic view of human nature, its just pinpointing reality.
Think about it, read the history of the human race for the last 5,000 years and know what happens to peoples day to day lives all over the world, thats been happening since the dawn of man, you will see where most people tend towards most, bad or good.
Book Review: A Riveting Sequel
Summary: 5 Stars
In "In the Shadow of Man", Jane Goodall introduced us to the Chimpanzees of Gombe. If anything, this sequel is even more fascinating.The whole study reads like a sweeping saga. As "Shadow" closed, the "main characters", the Flo family, were thriving, though there was a tinge of sadness with the realization that Flo wasn't getting any younger.
As "Window" opens, the inevitable happens, and we learn how each of Flo's children coped with her death - including a foreshadowed tragedy. We then watch her sons find their place in the male hierarchy and see what her daughter has learned about successful parenting from her mother.
The "supporting cast" is as interesting as that of "Shadow" - like Jomeo, a large male who never reached the high position one would have anticipated; Goblin, the Machiavellian politician who works his way up the ranks by befriending Alphas; Evered, who never reached a particularly high position but may have had the last laugh on all the males by quietly fathering the most children of the lot of them and Passion, the psychotic, nightmarish baby cannibal who sounds like something out of a horror movie.
The book also documents the brutal, disturbing territorial war that proved that Chimpanzees are capable of violence against eachother. This is a war that would have never been recorded had the study ended when originally scheduled - showing why long term studies are needed for long lived animals like chimps and elephants.
Both books should be among the first in the collection of everyone with the slightest interest in animal behavior. I keep up with the continuing story on internet, but I still can't wait for Ms. Goodall to continue with another book about what happened next.
Book Review: Thirty Years of Goodall Research in Gombe
Summary: 5 Stars
Jane Goodall's contributions to our knowledge of chimpanzees has been remarkable. Because she first arrived in Africa completely untrained as an observer of animal behavior, she was able to bring a humanist's instincts to her work; her natural ability to see details and connections, as well as her affection for her subjects, culminated in published results that rocked the scientific community. THROUGH A WINDOW picks up her observations where IN THE SHADOW OF MAN left off. Here, she follows the lives mostly of the children of the original group. She has organized her chapters by theme: Mothers and Daughters, Sons and Mothers, War, Power, Love, and more. Within these chapters, she explores the specific lives of the Gombe chimps and their relationships with their relatives and group members. By tackling specific topics of behavior, she is able to fully integrate the range of her experiences, from first observations to those made thirty years later. As Goodall is quick to point out, what she assumed at first did not necessarily prove to hold fast over time. No less fascinating than IN THE SHADOW OF MAN, this book is extraordinary for its insight into chimpanzee personalities, relationships, and culture. If you have never before read Goodall's books, you will be surprised by the strong echoes of human behavior in these wild and highly individual chimpanzees. Goodall has made enormous contributions to our understanding of non-human primates, and should be widely read.
Book Review: Laughter and Tears Between the Covers
Summary: 5 Stars
I read "In The Shadow Of Man", and was quite impressed with it. When I purchased it, I also got this book. Being so enamored with Flo, Mike, and all the other chimps I "met" in the first book, I immediately dove headlong into the sequel.
The first book, while I found interesting, didn't incite the emotions that this one did. The closing chapters of "In The Shadow Of Man" were sad at times, but "Through A Window" definitely magnifies those emotions.
Some passages from the book set me into fits of laughter, as I imagined these creatures, so alike us, going about their daily lives. Other, darker chapters, brought the sting of tears to my eyes as tragedy befell the very chimps I had come to feel as if I knew.
In the end, this book left me feeling very reflective. The thing I reflect most on, is how we treat those who are our closest relatives. How we judge them. How we view them. What if we are being observed from afar and categorized and judged the same way we judge these creatures?
I would challenge anyone to read this book, and have it not move them, not change their views on chimpanzees (and perhaps animals in general). A well deserved 5 stars.
Book Review: A great book... and not necessarily because of the apes...
Summary: 5 Stars
Goodall is a great writer and will be remembered as something of a scientist. More so than any other, she has been a champion and a poularizer of the study of chimpanzees and baboons; Richard Wrangham and others who are at the forefront of ape-research studied under her at Gombe-- and there is something about the myth of a little lady devoting her life to study in the forest that catches people's imaginations...The thing that makes this book so compelling, though, is the insight that it gives into the human condition-- not into that of chimps. Goodall forces people to feel because she can show-- minus the scientific dispassionate inquiry-- how these monekys behave-- and how much like us they act. She feels for them, she identifies with them-- and this book, in the end, forces one to see the human condition in a different light....
This is a worthwhile read and fully worth the money it costs. There are times when you can read Goodall's almost religious zeal-- and it is really neat. I highly recommend this book....
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