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| Titre : | Baboon Metaphysics: The Evolution of a Social Mind |
| Auteurs : | Dorothy L. Cheney |
| Type de document : | document électronique |
| Editeur : | [S.l.] : University Of Chicago Press, 2010 |
| ISBN/ISSN/EAN : | 978-0-226-10243-6 |
| Index. décimale : | 599.8 (Primates. Singes) |
| Résumé : |
In 1838 Charles Darwin jotted in a notebook, ÔÇ£He who understands baboon would do more towards metaphysics than Locke.ÔÇØ *Baboon Metaphysics *is Dorothy┬áL.┬áCheney and Robert M.┬áSeyfarthÔÇÖs fascinating response to DarwinÔÇÖs challenge. Cheney and Seyfarth set up camp in BotswanaÔÇÖs Okavango Delta, where they could intimately observe baboons and their social world. Baboons live in groups of up to 150, including a handful of males and eight or nine matrilineal families of females. Such numbers force baboons to form a complicated mix of short-term bonds for mating and longer-term friendships based on careful calculations of status and individual need. But *Baboon Metaphysics* is concerned with much more than just baboonsÔÇÖ social organizationÔÇöCheney and Seyfarth aim to fully comprehend the intelligence that underlies it. Using innovative field experiments, the authors learn that for baboons, just as for humans, family and friends hold the key to mitigating the ill effects of grief, stress, and anxiety. Written with a scientistÔÇÖs precision and a nature-loverÔÇÖs eye, *Baboon Metaphysics* gives us an unprecedented and compelling glimpse into the mind of another species. ┬áÔÇ£The vivid narrative is like a bush detective story.ÔÇØÔÇöSteven Poole, *Guardian* ÔÇ£*Baboon Metaphysics *is a distillation of a big chunk of academic lives. . . . It is exactly what such a book should beÔÇöfull of imaginative experiments, meticulous scholarship, limpid literary style, and above all, truly important questions.ÔÇØÔÇöAlison Jolly, *Science* ÔÇ£Cheney and Seyfarth found that for a baboon to get on in life involves a complicated blend of short-term relationships, friendships, and careful status calculations. . . . Needless to say, the ensuing political machinations and convenient romantic dalliances in the quest to become *numero uno* rival the bard himself.ÔÇØÔÇö*Science News* ÔÇ£Cheney and SeyfarthÔÇÖs enthusiasm is obvious, and their knowledge is vast and expressed with great clarity. All this makes *Baboon Metaphysics* a captivating read. It will get you thinkingÔÇöand maybe spur you to travel to Africa to see it all for yourself.ÔÇØÔÇöAsif A. Ghazanfar, *Nature* ÔÇ£Through ingenious playback experiments . . . Cheney and Seyfarth have worked out many aspects of what baboons used their minds for, along with their limitations. Reading a baboonÔÇÖs mind affords an excellent grasp of the dynamics of baboon society. But more than that, it bears on the evolution of the human mind and the nature of human existence.ÔÇØÔÇöNicholas Wade, *New York** Times* |
