Minds I've Met

New York Times best-selling author and world-renowned primatologist Frans de Waal traces the dramatic changes in humanity’s perception of animals over the past half-century. Praise for the Work of Frans de Waal "The beauty of a book by Frans de Waal is that once you read it, you’ll never look at your own species the same way again." — Tamra Mendelson, Washington Post "Through colorful stories and riveting prose, de Waal firmly puts to rest the stubborn notion that humans alone in the animal kingdom experience a broad array of emotions.…De Waal contributes immensely to an ethical sea change for animals." — Barbara J. King, NPR "De Waal’s eye-opening observations argue for better treatment and greater appreciation of animals, even as he ensures that you’ll never look at them—or yourself—the same way again." — People "A remarkable scientist. Drawing on a growing body of research including his own, de Waal shows that animals, from elephants and chimpanzees to the lowly invertebrates, are not only smarter than we thought, but also engaged in forms of thought we have only begun to understand." — Edward O. Wilson "This is a writer marshaling the evidence of his life, particularly his life as a scientist, to express a passionately held belief in the possibility of a more compassionate society." — Meehan Crist, New Republic How humans think about animals—and our place among them—has undergone a seismic change. Breaking old scientific taboos and never shying away from controversial topics, renowned primatologist Frans de Waal was at the forefront of this revolution, fighting against claims of human exceptionalism. From de Waal’s early studies in the Netherlands through his five-decade professional career in the United States, Minds I’ve Met follows this radical shift in how science perceives animals. De Waal’s pioneering work challenged the traditional view of animals as living machines and contributed to a new image of animals as intentional agents with minds of their own, capable of remarkable cognitive feats, demonstrating empathy and self-awareness, showing emotions and consciousness. His final published work, Minds I’ve Met celebrates animals’ awe-inspiring abilities and traces the complete turnaround in one of the fiercest scientific debates of our time, bringing humans ever closer to the rest of the animal world and animals closer to us.