Rating: 
Summary: A Fascinating Read
Review: I suspect that most readers will measure Moral Animal in a way that's proportional to how seriously they take evolutionary biology itself. Those who don't see it as serious science will have plenty of negative judgements of the book.I don't think this is fair, however. The author says from the beginning that the discipline is in its infancy and much remains to be confirmed by further study. Yes, he says, the evidence is still anecdotal. But any scientific discipline starts with individuals daring to ask crazy questions, conducting experiments, and accepting harsh criticism from their contemporaries. The evidence, anecdotal or not, is so overwhelming that one would have to be stupid to ignore the patterns. Furthermore, the author makes a good point: why do critics accept without question that animal behavior is rooted in genetic and evolutionary programming, but exempt humans from the same phenomenon? Why would we be the only species on the planet that are immune to this? The Moral Animal is a fascinating read into human behavior and leaves readers wondering not why those apes at the zoo are so much like us, but rather why we're so much like them.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating.
Review: This is a fascinating discussion of evolutionary psychology: its concepts; its basis in both human experiments and animal research; and its implications. It is extremely well written: very readable, yet challenging. While the logical basis of evolutionary psychology seems compelling, the human experimental basis is not all that weighty, and I suspect some of the concepts may be dropped or modified. For example, it is hypothesized that self deception grew out of its value in making people more convincing liars; even if true, I doubt this is its only function. Wright distinguishes between the origin of an element of our psychology, and its current role, but is perhaps not sufficiently sensitive to this distinction. Wright devotes several chapters to Darwin's biography, using it to illustrate many of the concepts presented, and thereby annoying many readers. I found these chapters useful, but they are definitely not at the level of the rest of the book, probably oversimplify, and possibly are unfair in some instances. Finally, Wright's concept of determinism is very convincing - unless you have read Evolving the Mind: On the Nature of Matter and the Origin of Consciousness by Cairns-Smith, a very respected scientist, and one I can confidently bet Wright has not read.
Rating: 
Summary: Experimental science that should be treated as such!
Review: The new god is evolution and, frankly, I'm an atheist. First step, I read Dawkins "The Blind Watchmaker." That lead me to the works of Daniel Dennett and Steven Pinker. It was Pinker that lead me to evolutionary psychology and Wright's well-written, thought provoking book does an excellent job with the subject. After some time to reflect on this book and evolutionary psychology, I'm still an atheist, but my conclusion is that evolutionary psychology (and this book) is MUCH too speculative. the territory is still largely uncharted. This is not to say that Wrights explanations are not convincing. He does a fantastic job mapping the logic of his arguments- especially the argument for monogamy as an invention to ensure that more males get a chance to mate, leading to increasing diversification through generations. His hypotheses are sharp and well-backed through glimpses at other species and internal logic. Therein lies two problems. First, untill we can actually witness the past much of the info presented will remain speculation. Even archeological data can only go so far where psychology is concerned. While helpful to biology, physical relics do little to give us a glimpse at pre-historic minds. Second, even when Wright argues a point by it's internal consistency, this does little in the way of expanding science. Science does not care for internal logic. The best evidence is always an theories correspondence to reality. Abstract reason doesn't help and I'm afraid that Wright relies on it a bit too much. That said, I think that anyone wanting to ponder behavior (both rational and not) will definitely want to sit down with this one- and while the theories desperately need to be treated as tentative, Wrights postulations are certainly reasonable and some of the best I've seen.
Rating:
Summary: Understanding the Human Behaviour
Review: For those who understand Darwin's Natural Selection Theory, and are looking for clearer human behavior theories, this book is the book. Why we behave the way we behave according to Darwin's theory.
It has truly changed the way I see people (and my own) behavior.
Rating:
Summary: Unconvincing
Review: A little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing, a truth that Wright blithely ignores in this book. He makes the same mistake that many sociobiologists have made before: jumping from a precious few discoveries about human nature to an attempt to solve our modern social problems. This book is one part presentation of evolutionary psychology, which is useful, and two parts speculation about marriage, child rearing and other issues, which is not. I am hopeful that someday our increased understanding of our origins and nature will help us solve those problems. But humans are much more complicated than Wright would have us believe. In particular, we have almost no understanding of the interplay between cultural evolution and our biological nature. We are just at the beginning.
Rating:
Summary: Powerful arguments, excitingly presented
Review: The arguments of evolutionary psychology are simple yet powerful. Wright states the principles early in the book and piles insight upon insight as he moves on. Using the life of Darwin to provide examples is just one neat trick of a well constructed book. I tend to read more fiction than non-fiction, and was surprised by just how exciting it is to develop a gene's eye view of the world. The ambitious subject is really, "why we are the way we are", and the answers manage to be both outlandish and plausible. If a non-scientist can be permitted to judge the field, then I think the concluding passages stretch the arguments beyond their limits. (I won't make the arguments here for fear of stealing the author's thunder.) This should not diminish the pleasure of reading the final chapters. After finishing this, I looked for other books on the same subject and recommend Stephen Pinker's "How the Mind Works" as well as Wright's "Non-Zero".
Rating:
Summary: Should be made compatible with progressive views
Review: This is a stimulating book certainly worth reading. It's clear, not pedantic, and helps us to understand ourselves.
Unfortunately, Wright understates free will, trying hard to make evolutionary psychology compatible with conservative victorian morality. Too bad, because many objections to sociobiological studies could have been avoided by stating more clearly how such studies can actually stimulate progessive innovation. What I mean is that genetic psychology is often misused to perpetuate conservative behaviour, such as: "men are naturally antagonistic, then it's only natural for each of us to wear our life off trying to become an overworked chairman; women are born to procreate, so they should stay home and raise ten kids", and so on. I would like to stress an opposite view. Much of our behaviour relies on conscious choice, which, however, requires investment, so that we settle for instinct whenever this is not proven to be wrong. Sociobiology clarifies the origins of our instincts, which rely on evolution in a past environment. An environment often found to be obsolete. Once we realize this, we understand that we should fight our natural inertia and opt for voluntary behaviour based on reason. In this sense, I would say that sociobiology helps us to overcome, rather than celebrate, our natural instincts.
Rating:
Summary: Who we really are . . .
Review: Yep! That's me on the cover! This book is another recommended by my friend Dr. Gus Rath. I've enjoyed every book he has recommended so far, and this book is no exception. In fact, I have ordered several additional copies and given them out as gifts. This is definitely a challenging read, but puts things in perspective in regards to the question of "Why are we the way we are?" Not an easy read, but the effort pays off with new insights into our human nature and some of the biological and environmental reasons we think and act in our own unique manner. One cannot, I think, read this volume without coming face to face with the reality that we are all responding, at different levels, to programming from our genes and our environment. The decisions we make between competing moral values is truly a mixture of those program subroutines we are not even aware are running in our "computer brain." There is not much comfort for those looking for a "meaning" to life, or simple answers about our interaction with our environment. But if one sticks with the author, the reward is a bit of insight into the real Darwinian equation. One notable quotation concerning free will versus determinism, Wright notes that: "Darwin saw all of this. He didn't know about genes, but he certainly knew about the concept of heredity, and he was a scientific materialist; he didn't think any nonphysical forces were needed to explain human behavior, or anything else in the natural world." Be prepared to be enlightened. This is a must read for anyone seriously pursuing knowledge of our human nature.
Rating:
Summary: Exceptional introduction and and very detailed
Review: An extremely interesting book introducing and detailing evolutionary human behavior. Covers a very wide range from the
history of evolutionary thinking to the latest views. Includes a very good overview of Darwin's views on evolution and how
darwin himself inadvertently behaved as per his own theory. Includes: kin selection, friendship, family, group, and tribal
behavioral dynamics as viewed from an evolutionary point of view. For further reading:
Charles Darwin by John Bowlby
Evolutionary Psychiatry : A New Beginning by Anthony Stevens, John Price
Darwinian Psychiatry by Michael T. McGuire, Alfonso Troisi
Rating:
Summary: One of my favorites
Review: Wright's style compliments his engaging subject matter. Anyone interested in evolutionary psychology or merely evolution for that matter should read this book.
Surely experts will have disagreements but this is still a very new sub-field of evolution and Wright collaborates past research and expands upon theories all the while keeping the reader wanting more.
Wright maintains that the evidence should be weighed carefully and speculation is also well noted.
Read it!
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