Fran De Waal's Apes In The Family

Humans have been the dominant species for many years and over the course of history, human nature has never been fully understood due to the fact that there are major differences between how we function in the world compare to other species and we are still learning from it. Human nature is defined as the ability to think, feel, and act in this world (Merriam Webster Collegiate Dictionary, n.d.). Humans are selfish individuals because no matter how much they act; they want to fulfill their own interest. We blame nature for our problems because other actions, not necessarily our own, control us but in reality it is our own decisions that caused these actions. After reading “Apes in the Family” from Fran de Waal’s Our Inner Ape, humans are not meant to be selfish in nature but also possess empathy and compassion which allows us to form connections and cooperate with others. DeWaal explains the differences between bonobos and chimpanzees societies in which both species

It shows how these species possess different views of human nature based upon how we cooperate with others as well as how we compete in order to survive. In “Apes in the Family”, De Waal states that “Vernon, a male bonobo at the San Diego Zoo, who used to rule a small group that included one female, Loretta, who was his mate and friend…The first thing Loretta and the other female did upon meeting was have sex…Sex between Loretta and her new female friend became more and more common, spelling the end of Vernon’s rule,” (DeWaal 18). This demonstrates the peaceful transition of power from one male to another female in bonobos without having violence. It tells us about a new way of understanding of our behavior and that there is more to our survival other than our violent