Reviews
Humans have achieved tremendous civilization and progress through intelligence said to far surpass that of other animals. We live in an age of more convenience and enjoyment than ever before, and many people would agree. But technological progress has not brought humanity only good things. Weapons of mass destruction and environmental damage threaten life directly and are rapidly shortening the lifespan of our home, Earth. We generally consider animals inferior to humans, treat them differently
Our species’ intelligence has helped make the world a better place, hasn’t it? We already know the answer. A new book urges us to be humble and admit that, depending on where human intelligence takes us now, it could become the stupidest thing ever to exist. Using scientific evidence and reasoning, it methodically dismantles the prejudice and misconception that humans are the pinnacle of creation and calls out the abuses arising from human intellectual arrogance. If Nietzsche Were a Narwhal is
Nietzsche is said to have been deeply shaken after seeing a horse being beaten and overworked. Perhaps he once imagined what it would be like to become a narwhal. The author is a renowned zoologist who specializes in cetaceans. Studying dolphins, known for their intelligence, made him question whether humans alone can claim to possess the highest intelligence and emotions and stand at the center of the world. Reality may be very different from our assumptions and prejudices, or governed by
If Nietzsche Were a Narwhal — Justin Gregg. The publisher provided this book. It carries the subtitle ‘On the Prejudice That Humans Are the Pinnacle of Creation.’ Justin Gregg is a biology professor and science writer. By the end of the book, you learn that he is someone who carefully removes slugs from his car tire before driving to work. He respects even small, precious living things whose deaths he does not want. The horn on Nietzsche’s forehead on the cover looks strange, like a unicorn’s
I hope you’ll take some time to consider an animal behaviorist’s ingenious ideas about humans. Sometimes reading brings peace of mind when everyday life feels dull. I have not really had the time for that, because of ‘work.’ Given the time, I would gladly read as a writer. If a book contains ‘ingenious ideas,’ I would read it too, though sometimes I look at such ideas skeptically. When the world is unsettled and confused, life can feel dull and difficult. South Korea today is a society in
Humans, able to think and reason, have held a superior position in every respect and ruled the animals on Earth. Reading this book by an animal behaviorist brings us face to face with many examples that make it difficult to conclude humans are absolutely superior. ‘We have often taken our universal system of norms to extremes, controlling and restricting the social behavior of other groups. Animals, by contrast, have less sophisticated systems of norms than we do, yet live good lives.’ No
Nietzsche’s philosophy remains meaningful in modern society. His ideas emphasize individual freedom and creativity and raise fundamental questions about how we should live. A fascinating new book considers the relationship between humans and animals from a biologist’s perspective. It is If Nietzsche Were a Narwhal by Justin Gregg. The book reinterprets Nietzsche’s complex, challenging ideas in a modern context and seems to help readers approach and apply them in everyday life. Gregg challenges
The horn on Nietzsche’s forehead in the cover image is a narwhal body part, and it matches the title, so it caught my eye. We humans usually think of ourselves as the pinnacle of creation, with abilities animals lack. The biology professor and science writer who wrote this book gives us a chance to see things from another perspective. Do humans really differ so much from other animals in the kind and range of intelligence they possess? The book raises that question and says that animals have
The horn on Nietzsche’s forehead on the cover looked like a narwhal’s tusk. Curious about the title, I looked up narwhals and learned they are medium-sized Arctic toothed whales with a prominent tusk. The book ultimately turns out to be about love for animals. Its point is that differences between people and animals are often matters of degree: animals also have intelligence, awareness, feelings, and some sense of death and time. We often call their behavior instinct, but having raised dogs,
The philosopher Nietzsche’s mind must always have been busy. He suffered from a brain disease and ultimately died of it. His encounter with a horse in Turin may have accelerated the illness, but apart from that, might he have lived longer if he had lived more simply? Was Nietzsche too smart for his own good? Thinking too hard about something does not necessarily help anyone. The author asks us to imagine Nietzsche with the cognitive abilities of a narwhal. He proposes that we examine
Justin Gregg: If Nietzsche were a narwhal
Maybe humans’ supposed intellectual superiority over animals is an illusion and a misconception. ‘What if we were animals instead?’—an animal behaviorist’s bold challenge to the firmly held belief in human superiority. A book drawing attention from The New York Times, Publishers Weekly, and The Guardian. In If Nietzsche Were a Narwhal, Justin Gregg, a biology professor and science writer who studies animal behavior, cognition, and language across disciplines, makes a daring and surprising challenge. This remarkable book questions the seemingly obvious assumption that humans are superior, an assumption few have dared to challenge, and unsettles our entrenched way of thinking. As Gregg compares humans with a variety of animal species, his argument is as enjoyable as a well-produced wildlife documentary. Yet its agenda leaves readers thinking deeply and asking themselves an important question: ‘What if we were animals instead?’
Korean title: 니체가 일각돌고래라면
Korean author: 저스틴 그레그
Korean publisher: 타인의사유
ISBN-13: 9791172450519
Reviews
Humans have achieved tremendous civilization and progress through intelligence said to far surpass that of other animals. We live in an age of more convenience and enjoyment than ever before, and many people would agree. But technological progress has not brought humanity only good things. Weapons of mass destruction and environmental damage threaten life directly and are rapidly shortening the lifespan of our home, Earth. We generally consider animals inferior to humans, treat them differently
Our species’ intelligence has helped make the world a better place, hasn’t it? We already know the answer. A new book urges us to be humble and admit that, depending on where human intelligence takes us now, it could become the stupidest thing ever to exist. Using scientific evidence and reasoning, it methodically dismantles the prejudice and misconception that humans are the pinnacle of creation and calls out the abuses arising from human intellectual arrogance. If Nietzsche Were a Narwhal is
Nietzsche is said to have been deeply shaken after seeing a horse being beaten and overworked. Perhaps he once imagined what it would be like to become a narwhal. The author is a renowned zoologist who specializes in cetaceans. Studying dolphins, known for their intelligence, made him question whether humans alone can claim to possess the highest intelligence and emotions and stand at the center of the world. Reality may be very different from our assumptions and prejudices, or governed by
If Nietzsche Were a Narwhal — Justin Gregg. The publisher provided this book. It carries the subtitle ‘On the Prejudice That Humans Are the Pinnacle of Creation.’ Justin Gregg is a biology professor and science writer. By the end of the book, you learn that he is someone who carefully removes slugs from his car tire before driving to work. He respects even small, precious living things whose deaths he does not want. The horn on Nietzsche’s forehead on the cover looks strange, like a unicorn’s
I hope you’ll take some time to consider an animal behaviorist’s ingenious ideas about humans. Sometimes reading brings peace of mind when everyday life feels dull. I have not really had the time for that, because of ‘work.’ Given the time, I would gladly read as a writer. If a book contains ‘ingenious ideas,’ I would read it too, though sometimes I look at such ideas skeptically. When the world is unsettled and confused, life can feel dull and difficult. South Korea today is a society in
Humans, able to think and reason, have held a superior position in every respect and ruled the animals on Earth. Reading this book by an animal behaviorist brings us face to face with many examples that make it difficult to conclude humans are absolutely superior. ‘We have often taken our universal system of norms to extremes, controlling and restricting the social behavior of other groups. Animals, by contrast, have less sophisticated systems of norms than we do, yet live good lives.’ No
Nietzsche’s philosophy remains meaningful in modern society. His ideas emphasize individual freedom and creativity and raise fundamental questions about how we should live. A fascinating new book considers the relationship between humans and animals from a biologist’s perspective. It is If Nietzsche Were a Narwhal by Justin Gregg. The book reinterprets Nietzsche’s complex, challenging ideas in a modern context and seems to help readers approach and apply them in everyday life. Gregg challenges
The horn on Nietzsche’s forehead in the cover image is a narwhal body part, and it matches the title, so it caught my eye. We humans usually think of ourselves as the pinnacle of creation, with abilities animals lack. The biology professor and science writer who wrote this book gives us a chance to see things from another perspective. Do humans really differ so much from other animals in the kind and range of intelligence they possess? The book raises that question and says that animals have
The horn on Nietzsche’s forehead on the cover looked like a narwhal’s tusk. Curious about the title, I looked up narwhals and learned they are medium-sized Arctic toothed whales with a prominent tusk. The book ultimately turns out to be about love for animals. Its point is that differences between people and animals are often matters of degree: animals also have intelligence, awareness, feelings, and some sense of death and time. We often call their behavior instinct, but having raised dogs,
The philosopher Nietzsche’s mind must always have been busy. He suffered from a brain disease and ultimately died of it. His encounter with a horse in Turin may have accelerated the illness, but apart from that, might he have lived longer if he had lived more simply? Was Nietzsche too smart for his own good? Thinking too hard about something does not necessarily help anyone. The author asks us to imagine Nietzsche with the cognitive abilities of a narwhal. He proposes that we examine
