Rating: 
Summary: an interesting approach, but flawed by faulty reasoning
Review: I came to this book with an affinity for the natural selection approach to human psychology, but I was disappointed with the book's overall approach and its affronts to the logical and scientific processes. The tone of the book implies that evolutionary psychology may be used to explain anything and everything about human behavior. This is never directly stated, but the tone is unmistakeable. I would rather have seen a disclaimer at the beginning of the book saying what evolutionary psychology actually is -- a useful means of analyzing human behavior, but not the ONLY means, and certainly not the only correct means.The book also makes wild leaps in connecting together various pieces of evidence which simply would not hold for a real logician. William of Ockham stated that we should not multiply uncertainties needlessly. Aristotelean logic, furthermore, gives us explicit restrictions on how we may use particular propositions in a chain of reasoning. Wright has violated such rules of basic reasoning in this book, stringing together arguments which are at best tenuous. And I recall another philosopher, Leslie Stephenson, who, criticizing the work of Konrad Lorenz, asked if it is legitimate to draw inferences on HUMAN behavior from ANIMAL behavior. (A human being is, after all, a little more complex than a rhesus monkey.) All in all, although I think evolutionary psychology can make some positive contributions to our understanding of humanity, the field, as it is depicted in this book, needs more development and good old fashioned scientific skepticism.
Rating: 
Summary: loved the book and found it useful
Review: I bought this book after reading Robert Wright's excellent pro co-sleeping article in Salon Magazine. Not only does Wright present complex ideas in a fluid, lucid style, he does so with great wit. The whole concept makes great sense to me, and applying it to Darwin's life was a stroke of brilliance. I especially enjoyed reading about Darwin's love life, and the Darwin parts gave me a chance to catch my mental breath (some of those concepts are mighty complex!). I tell all my single friends to forget "The Rules" and read The Moral Animal. Though it's too late to help me with mating, I'm scheming up ways to use these principles to get more status at work.
Rating:
Summary: New analysis of the forces that shaped who we have become.
Review: Wright's analysis of evolutionary psychology offers fascinating insights into the shaping of human behavior. Evolutionary psychology takes as its formula - does a behaviour increase the chances of reproductive success? - and studies the relationships between people in this context. This new science has offered interesting theories on the old issues of monogamy and faithfulness, trust, and status. The science constantly reminds us that we were designed in a painstaking evolutionary laboratory over eons - and that modern civilation has dramatically changed our context without allowing our genes to catch up. Behaviours that made sense a million years ago don't help out on the daily commute. The Moral Animal offers a summary of current thinking on this important new science. Wright presents as his case-study in intricate detail the life of Charles Darwin, and assesses his behavior in light of evolutionary psychology. The concept is interesting, and demonstrates how the science can be applied to specific, individual behavior, but the reader quickly is convinced that he would prefer it never be applied to himself. The downside of this book is the arrogant attitude of "hey, we finally figured everything out." The author constantly points out why prior theories are "wrong" and evolutionary psychology is right. Wright is fascinated with the single issue of status, and spends the majority of the book discussing this one issue, often repeating the same analysis over and over. The study would be even better if presented with a smaller chip on the shoulder.
Rating:
Summary: The Big Broom
Review: Enjoying a little intellectual mayhem has always made me vulnerable to broad interdisciplinary sweeps that leave all conventional thinking whimpering in the dust (see John Ralston Saul and Camille Paglia). Robert Wright's The Moral Animal lacks the frenzied joy of those authors' best work, but makes up for most of it in dogged earnestness. In this book, Wright is General Grant, relentlessly pounding away with the best arguments of evolutionary psychology. Of course, the problem for many with these forget-everything-you-used-to-know books is that we just don't know as much as the author. Still. I will risk a few opinions. Beginning with sex and the monogamy question is both clever and enlightening and just before Wright bogs down by squeezing too much juice from primate studies, he switches to Darwin's life to stake his arguments in the solid ground of a man's life. This rhetorical device continues throughout the book to great effect; I never felt overwhelmed by the complexites of evolutionary psychology. The argument itself is solid and substantial. There is a bit of circularity in its logic which Wright attempts to dissapate but yet still remains. Not so simply put, if all behaviors are governed by the logic of their usefulness in passing our genes on, then one must work backwards to discover that logic. Like religious faith, the central tenent of that logic, natural selection of traits that lead to behaviours that help get our genes into the next generation, is never questioned. Unlike faith, there is room for disproof, however grudgingly given, and always with the proviso that the mysteries of the evolutionary advantages involved have not yet been revealed. Very little escapes the cold fish eye of evolutionary logic, not even the grief over a dead child. Convincing? Yes, and Wright should be congratulated for facing up to the philosophical and ethical implications involved to the best of his abilities. Still, I hesitate to join the previous reviewer in warning some from eating from the tree of evolutionary psychology. If I accept that my actions and emotions are evolutionarily conditioned, are they somehow cheapened? Are my loves and friendships devalued? I don't think so, nor does Wright seem to. Take for example this whopping lie: all people are created equal. How absolutely ludicrous a statement knowing that some have many more opportunities to live well and pass their genes on successfully to the next generation. Yet the lie is beautiful and within its beauty and not its truthfulness lies its value. Nothing, not even the knowledge of evolutionary psychology, can cheapen beauty and selflessness.
Rating: 
Summary: Evolutionary psychology: a paradigm whose time has come
Review: Wright is no light weight in dealing with the sometimes obtuse ramifications of evolutionary theory on human nature. This book stands out from the many others in this genre in its clarity and cohesiveness. Wright may be a journalist, but he has, in my opinion, become the mouthpiece to the public for evolutionary psychology (EP). EP is a huge step forward in thinking in psychology, and it promises to bridge the gap between the "soft" social sciences and the hard sciences. Wright's book captures this synthesis beautifully.
Rating:
Summary: Spiritual Implications - Catholic/Christian Perspective
Review: What we may be dealing with here is the fundamental source of the idea of "original sin". Not so much as a vague concept somehow cleansed by some holy water and a few prayers, but the actual day to day challenge of every human's existence, namely that we are the product of a genetic inheritance whose programming is not as benign as we would like to admit. Yet somehow as individuals we manage to overcome our (sometimes negative) instincts and decide for ourselves what is right and wrong.
Absolutely fascinating stuff.
Rating:
Summary: Extremely thought provoking
Review: "Once truly grasped . . . it can entirely
alter one's perception of social reality." Robert Wright makes this amazing claim about
evolutionary psychology in the introduction
of his book _The Moral Animal: Why we are the way we are: The new science of
Evolutionary Psychology_. It is a particularly bold claim, but one that proved
true for me. Because of the bad reputation
of evolutionary psychology's predecessors, I
read this book with a healthy skepticism. E. O. Wilson's _Sociobiology_ was one of
these much maligned predecessors. Another
even more maligned predecessor of sorts, and
rightly so, was social Darwinism. Of course,
social Darwinism is the worst sort of misuse
of science. So I think you can see why I did
not intend to give this book a free ride. No, I read it very critically and found it to be undeserving of the reputation of its
predecessors. It is one of the most thought-provoking books that I have ever
read.
So what is this book about; just what is
evolutionary psychology? Simply put, it is
the science of evolution applied to the mind
of man. This would seem to be a logical
extension of Darwin's work; however, this
application has been met with heavy
resistance. As Wright put it, "The new
Darwinian social scientists are fighting a
doctrine that has dominated their fields for much of this century: the idea that biology
doesn't much matter--that the uniquely
malleable human mind, together with the
unique force of culture, has severed our
behavior from its evolutionary roots; that
there is no inherent human nature driving
human events, but that, rather, our essential
nature is to be driven." Evolutionary
psychologists seek to overturn this prevailing wisdom because of what
anthropologists have seen in their studies
of people from all around the world. "Beneath the global crazy quilt of rituals
and customs, they see recurring patterns in
the structure of family, friendship,
politics, courtship, morality." For example,
people in all cultures gossip, worry about
social status, feel guilt, and have a sense
of justice. Wright calls these universals
"the knobs of human nature." Seeking social approval and having a capacity for guilt are
genetic traits inherent to man. Nature has
provided these "knobs" and the mechanisms by
which these knobs are tuned by the
environment. The tuning of these knobs
differs from culture to culture and from
person to person within a culture.
It is to evolutionary psychology's credit
that this emerging science has avoided the
sins of the past. When evolutionary
psychologists look at the differences
between people, they are reluctant to explain
these differences as genetic. To be sure,
genetics has something to say about these
differences, but mostly it says that we all
share the underlying mechanisms that allow our environment to produce these differences.
These new Darwinists very much believe that
the early social environment is a powerful
force in determining the mind of an adult. Evolution has made the mind of man "adjustable." However, understanding why
natural selection made many of the
adjustable knobs of human behavior is
important to understanding the mind of man. A better understanding of our minds can aid
us in choosing and reaching our goals in
life. Evolution has produced certain basic
moral impulses in man that should be
explored if we are to better understand ourselves and our societies.
These basic moral impulses of man are so
fundamental and accepted that we tend to
take them for granted. Things like love,
honor, pride, shame, gratitude, etc. seem so
basic to our lives that we rarely pause to
consider that no physical laws of nature
ordain them. However, there is abundant evidence that these impulses are in large
part the result of our evolutionary legacy. This is not to say that Wright and others
have committed the naturalistic fallacy. On
the contrary, Wright makes his position clear
when he writes, ". . . nature isn't a moral
authority, and we needn't adopt any 'values'
that seem implicit in its workings . . . ." However, he goes on to say, "Still, a true
understanding of human nature will inevitably
affect moral thought deeply and, as I will
try to show, legitimately." In my opinion, Wright successfully makes his case. However,
do not take my word for it; read this
provocative book for yourself and discover
why man is indeed the moral animal.
Rating:
Summary: An important book
Review: How refreshing to read an unflinchingly scientific book that is also so well narrated and so free (ironically as it turns out) of personal / political bias. What is not emphasized enough is that with a better understanding of our psychological history and motivations, we might attain the ideals we like to imagine ourselves capable of. The idea of the hairless ape may not ultimately be incompatible with the idea of the superman, if only we gain the best understanding of reality as possible. The book is impeccibly descriptive. As such, it is a terrific basis for a more prescriptive line of inquiry
Rating:
Summary: Provides great insights into human nature
Review: One of the great insights that the book explores is that we are all really designed by evolution to function (meaning survive & reproduce) in small, intensely hierarchal hunter-gatherer tribes. The fact we now live in a radically different environment creates many of the irrationalities of modern life
Rating:
Summary: excellent survey of daily issues that aren't considered.
Review: the moral animal was informative in a few important ways. the content is relevent to daily life and human nature is exposed in ways that can make you relieved or sheepish. the author does an excellent job of illustrating his points using the life of Charles Darwin. the reasons that Darwin choose the spouse that he did, his job, the timing of the release of his theory, and many other aspects of his life are probably similiar to aspects of yours. certainly, these aspects of his life make sense in an evolutionary context. both of my thumbs up
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