Not So Different

Nathan H. Lents is professor of molecular biology and director of the biology and cell and molecular biology programs at John Jay College of the City University of New York. His work has been published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, Molecular Cell, and the American Journal of Physiology, as well as the Journal of College Science Teaching and the Chronicle of Higher Education. He also maintains The Human Evolution Blog and writes most of its content.

In Not So Different, the biologist Nathan H. Lents argues that the same evolutionary forces of cooperation and competition have shaped both humans and animals. Identical emotional and instinctual drives govern our actions. By acknowledging this shared programming, the human experience no longer seems unique, but in that loss we gain a fuller appreciation of such phenomena as sibling rivalry and the biological basis of grief, helping us lead more grounded, moral lives among animals, our closest kin. Through a mix of colorful reporting and rigorous scientific research, Lents describes the exciting strides scientists have made in decoding animal behavior and bringing the evolutionary paths of humans and animals closer together. He marshals evidence from psychology, evolutionary biology, cognitive science, anthropology, and ethology to further advance this work and to drive home the truth that we are distinguished from animals only in degree, not in kind.

AcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Emotions, Drives, and the Brain1. Why Do We Play?2. Animal Systems of Justice3. Moral Animals4. Sexual Politics5. Do Animals Fall in Love?6. The Agony of Grief7. Jealous Beasts: The Dark Side of Love8. Darker Still: Envy, Greed, and Power9. Afraid of the Dark10. The Richness of Animal CommunicationEpilogue: Metacognition, Self-awareness, and the MindNotesIndex