Author Looks To Animals For Deeper Understanding Of Good And Evil
Monday, March 17, 2014
We're all taught that the law of the jungle is to kill or be killed. We believe that our survival instincts are honed in the recesses of human history as we fought tooth and nail against wild killer beasts.
A new book points out that human beings, as the master predators are without a doubt the biggest killers on the planet. Jeffrey Masson, author of "Beasts: What Animals Can Teach Us About The Origins of Good And Evil," said in the book's video trailer, "What I find interested is that while they almost never kill us, we kill them, and every other animal, on a gigantic scale."
Masson said, what's more, they almost never kill their own. Killing members of your own species is a uniquely human trait.
In "Beasts," Masson, a longtime animal advocate, explored how taking a deeper understanding of animals may bring us back in balance with the natural world.
Masson will be speaking about his book "Beasts" on Tuesday, March 18 at 7 p.m. at the Institute For Peace and Justice at the University of San Diego.