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Frans de Waal

Frans de Waal is a Dutch/American primatologist with a Ph.D. in biology from Utrecht University. In 1981, he moved to the USA to teach at Emory University and direct the Living Links Center for the Study of Ape and Human Evolution, in Atlanta, Georgia. Since 2019, he is Emeritus professor. He is known for his popular books, such as “Chimpanzee Politics” (1982), "Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?" (2016) and most recently "Different: Gender Through the Eyes of a Primatologist" (2022), which books have been translated into over twenty languages. His interests include animal cooperation, empathy, and the evolution of morality and justice. He has been elected to the (U.S.) National Academy of Sciences and the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. Also see: http://www.emory.edu/LIVING_LINKS/

The Gendered Ape, Essay 10: No Gender-Neutral Upbringing For Apes

Posted on Monday, Dec 5, 2022 2:10AMMonday, December 5, 2022 by Frans de Waal

Editor’s Note: Frans de Waal’s new book, Different: Gender Through the Eyes of a Primatologist, has generated some controversy and misunderstanding. He will address these issues in a series of short essays which will be published at 3QD and can all be seen in one place here. More comments on these essays can also be…

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The Gendered Ape, Essay 9: Are Alpha Males Of Any Use?

Posted on Monday, Nov 21, 2022 2:05AMMonday, November 21, 2022 by Frans de Waal

Editor’s Note: Frans de Waal’s new book, Different: Gender Through the Eyes of a Primatologist, has generated some controversy and misunderstanding. He will address these issues in a series of short essays which will be published at 3QD and can all be seen in one place here. More comments on these essays can also be…

Leave a comment

The Gendered Ape, Essay 8: Every Mammal Owns A Clitoris!

Posted on Monday, Nov 14, 2022 2:15AMMonday, November 14, 2022 by Frans de Waal

Editor’s Note: Frans de Waal’s new book, Different: Gender Through the Eyes of a Primatologist, has generated some controversy and misunderstanding. He will address these issues in a series of short essays which will be published at 3QD and can all be seen in one place here. More comments on these essays can also be…

Leave a comment

The Gendered Ape, Essay 7: Males Are Better Caretakers Than You’d Think

Posted on Monday, Oct 24, 2022 2:10AMMonday, October 24, 2022 by Frans de Waal

Editor’s Note: Frans de Waal’s new book, Different: Gender Through the Eyes of a Primatologist, has generated some controversy and misunderstanding. He will address these issues in a series of short essays which will be published at 3QD and can all be seen in one place here. More comments on these essays can also be…

Leave a comment

The Gendered Ape, Essay 6: Those Embarrassing Bonobos!

Posted on Monday, Oct 17, 2022 2:15AMMonday, October 17, 2022 by Frans de Waal

Editor’s Note: Frans de Waal’s new book, Different: Gender Through the Eyes of a Primatologist, has generated some controversy and misunderstanding. He will address these issues in a series of short essays which will be published at 3QD and can all be seen in one place here. More comments on these essays can also be…

Leave a comment

The Gendered Ape, Essay 5: How Natural is LGBTQ+ Diversity?

Posted on Monday, Oct 10, 2022 2:05AMMonday, October 10, 2022 by Frans de Waal

Editor’s Note: Frans de Waal’s new book, Different: Gender Through the Eyes of a Primatologist, has generated some controversy and misunderstanding. He will address these issues in a series of short essays which will be published at 3QD and can all be seen in one place here. More comments on these essays can also be…

Leave a comment

The Gendered Ape, Essay 4: Is Rape in our Genes?

Posted on Monday, Sep 26, 2022 2:10AMMonday, September 26, 2022 by Frans de Waal

Editor’s Note: Frans de Waal’s new book, Different: Gender Through the Eyes of a Primatologist, has generated some controversy and misunderstanding. He will address these issues in a series of short essays which will be published at 3QD and can all be seen in one place here. More comments on these essays can also be…

Leave a comment

The Gendered Ape, Essay 3: Do Only Humans Have Genders?

Posted on Monday, Sep 19, 2022 2:05AMMonday, September 19, 2022 by Frans de Waal

Editor’s Note: Frans de Waal’s new book, Different: Gender Through the Eyes of a Primatologist, has generated some controversy and misunderstanding. He will address these issues in a series of short essays which will be published at 3QD and can all be seen in one place here. More comments on these essays can also be…

Leave a comment

The Gendered Ape, Essay 2: Are Males Naturally Dominant?

Posted on Monday, Sep 12, 2022 2:05AMMonday, September 12, 2022 by Frans de Waal

Editor’s Note: Frans de Waal’s new book, Different: Gender Through the Eyes of a Primatologist, has generated some controversy and misunderstanding. He will address these issues in a series of short essays which will be published at 3QD and can all be seen in one place here. More comments on these essays can also be…

Leave a comment

The Gendered Ape, Essay 1: Is The Maternal Instinct A Myth?

Posted on Monday, Sep 5, 2022 2:10AMMonday, September 5, 2022 by Frans de Waal

Editor’s Note: Frans de Waal’s new book, Different: Gender Through the Eyes of a Primatologist, has generated some controversy and misunderstanding. He will address these issues in a series of short essays which will be published at 3QD and can all be seen in one place here. More comments on these essays can also be…

Leave a comment

Academic War About War

Posted on Monday, Jul 19, 2010 12:40AMFriday, December 8, 2017 by Frans de Waal

by Frans de Waal [Film by The Department of Expansion.] For many years, anthropologists and biologists have been comparing the aggression of animals with human warfare. It started with Konrad Lorenz in the 1960s, and remains a popular endeavor. We have an aggressive instinct that leads to warfare, hence war will always be with us.…

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Rousseau Meets Japanese Primatology

Posted on Monday, Mar 15, 2010 1:50AMThursday, September 1, 2022 by Frans de Waal

by Frans de Waal Yesterday in a restaurant in Tokyo, someone at the table next to us lit up a cigarette. I asked my Japanese host if no one ever asked smokers to go outside. His answer took me by surprise: one is not allowed to smoke on the street. Inside is fine, outside is…

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The Continuity Wars

Posted on Monday, Feb 25, 2008 12:00AMThursday, September 1, 2022 by Frans de Waal

by Frans B. M. de Waal Something curious is underfoot in the science of human vs. ape comparisons. For a long time, we’ve been used to scientists who believe we’re totally unique. They simply don’t see humans as part of the animal kingdom, are uninterested in evolution, and indeed uninterested in any meaningful cross-species comparison.…

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