The Arrogant Ape

Drawing on the author's work with primates - as well as on psychological experiments, language and anecdote - this book explores the widespread idea that humans are superior to animals, and argues that we need to divest ourselves of this belief in order to stop destroying the planet and ensure a habitable environment for future species. It shows how our belief in our superior intelligence and importance is not actually inherent in us, and not something many children share, but something learned and acquired by the time we are adults, in Western culture in particular. It also explores how our belief that we are 'above' nature has contributed to climate change but also to pandemics like Covid 19. In the market this would sit alongside other books like Entangled Life, Other Minds and The Hidden Life of Trees, about nature and the intelligence of non-human life forms - but what sets this book apart is its particular focus on the link between human exceptionalism and the ecological crisis.