The Ape that Understood the Universe

This multifaceted book provides a genuine and a fresh view of the evolution. This book should be in any colleague and university library. Excellent book!

Interesting look at human behavior. Full details on the how’s and the whys things may be the way they are. A new look at evolution and the concepts of life. A true who came first...what, when, how. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I loved reading this book.

The title makes you want to find out more and I wasn't disappointed. If you ever wanted to find out exactly why humans behave the way we do, this one's for you. It deals a lot with evolution and evolutionary psychology. The gene's eye view of evolution was something I've never heard of before, but it really stays with you after reading. Many of the hypotheses proposed leave you thinking about them after you're finished.

The book itself is about 280 pages long, the rest is appendix and resources. Which is totally fine, it's amazingly researched, but I was a bit surprised when it ended just then.

Sometimes parts became repetitive and recurred over and over again, which makes sense since it's all one huge mechanism, still it felt a little tedious to me. I also felt like the significance of culture in the human nature was a little swept aside, but I'm a layman, so I can't properly judge that.

Overall a great book from a very different point of view that leaves you thinking afterwards.

The Ape That Understood the Universe – Steve Stewart-Williams

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Summary:
This is all about that most strange of species, the human animal, and begins by asking: How would an alien anthropological scientist view our species?

The answer is approached using evolutionary psychology and cultural evolutionary theory. We pass on our genes as a function of our evolution, but also over millennia we have evolved cultural norms & biases, which has in turn affected the growth and impact of our species. There are lots of references to sex, both from evolutionary and cultural viewpoints, but all in scientific good taste!

Approach:
There are 6 main sections in the book, roughly broken into the two over-riding approaches (above). The sections are:

1: The Alien’s Challenge
2: Darwin Comes To Mind
3: The SeXX/XY Animal
4:The Dating, Mating, Baby-Making Animal
5:The Altruistic Animal
6:The Cultural Animal.

There are also two appendices, A and B, to advise on how to win an argument with, respectively, a Blank Slater (people are born with no in-built mental content) and an Anti-Memeticist (opponent to the studies of information and culture, analogous to Darwinian evolution). The book is extremely well cross-referenced, and supported, with an extensive listing of other notes and works.

The Alien’s Challenge:
Following on from the report as given by our hypothetical Betelgeusean friend, the author constructs his response using evolutionary theory. We are products of natural selection, he argues, and have evolved in order to pass on our genes. We (i.e. me writing this, and you reading it) are currently the end product of millennia of millions of infinitesimal, unplanned and unconscious favourable accidents, and will contribute in our own small way to the propagation of the species, by ensuring we pass on our genes to the next generation.

Cultural issues complicate the story, for example why is it women invest more in child-rearing than men, and why do men do any at all (given most males in other species literally just contribute the basics and move on)? Why are people more co-operative than other species? Evolutionary psychology is hot-wired into the very essence of human nature.

Darwin Comes to Mind:
The author then proceeds through Darwinian Theory, natural selection, which officially began in 1838 when Charles Darwin had “The Greatest Idea Anyone Ever Had”, answering the question of how life had come to exist. Ultimately, all life traces back to a simple, self-replicating molecule, about four billion years ago or so. Since then, countless species have evolved, for species are not static, and most have become extinct (estimated some 98%). Some traits survive as they (unconsciously) offer a better survival mechanism (e.g. longer claws, faster legs for running), allowing that trait or gene to survive where less-effective genes die out. This is the crucial point – evolution is not about THE SPECIES surviving, but rather, within that species, the survival of THOSE GENES e.g. stronger claws for Lioness A allows it to capture more prey, ensuring its survival versus shorter-clawed Lioness B. By surviving, the author means surviving long enough to reproduce faster than the completing gene, ensuring that that gene is passed on or propagated to the next generation.

The author discusses how psychological adaptations have evolved to execute functions e.g. disgust, fear.

The SeXX/XY Animal:
The author discusses sexual dimorphism, and addresses and dismisses outdated and debunked myths of differences between the sexes.

He applies the social scientist approach, first advising us to forget about humans while he lists differences between the sexes and how they evolved [See page 66 – some interesting anecdotes] (e.g. in size, sex drive, choosiness of the opposite partner, ornamentation, etc.).

The author then cites both Darwin and Robert Trivers, and the latter’s study of parental investment theory, and explains “the casual sex” gap. Again, natural selection comes into play.

The Dating, Mating, Baby-Making Animal
While having children is not for everyone, out of choice or circumstance, it is the implied goal of our biology. This chapter covers the basic standard milestones of what he calls the [reproductive] conveyor belt of life, from choosing a partner, all the way through to getting the resultant children ready for adulthood. That said, there are parts of this chapter that really would make you reconsider the whole thing (sorry, family!! :D).

The Altruistic Animal:
This chapter opens with the sad story of brave thirteen year old Jordan Rice, and his sacrifice to save his baby brother Blake. Herein lies the thrust of this chapter – why would anyone consciously act against the instinct of natural selection i.e. act in a way that solely benefits another without benefitting to self?

The Cultural Animal:
This chapter explores how context counts. Where we are, and at what time, influences us. The author, through the example of chain letters, introduces the concept of memetics, based on the “meme”. It is broader than is currently considered the case (e.g. an internet image), encompassing everything that can be passed on via social learning. Memetics focuses on how cultural products benefit the products themselves, rather than traditionally a particular individual, group or both.


What I Liked:
- Well-written, with a touch of humour, and excellent examples to support his point
- Very well researched, with well-cited sources.
- Most definitely not on the Creationist/Intelligent Design side of the argument, and hopefully gives much food for thought for those who are.
- The surprising and various facts that the author sprang on us – for example: What was the largest number of children ever had by one woman? And fathered by one man?

What I Didn’t Like:
- Began to repeat the arguments in the later section (which is the case with natural selection, but I had already gotten the point in the first chapter).
- I would have liked more detail into the cultural/anthropological side of things, for example how various religions drive their arguments that counter evolutionary theory.

Overall:
Well-written, well-informed, and an excellent primer into this discussion. It respects the reader by engaging their mind through well-constructed arguments.

I would thoroughly recommend this book

Acknowledgements:
My thanks to NetGalley and the author for a free copy of the book, in return for an unbiased review.

This is a pretty dense book on evolutionary biology and psychology. While I appreciate the author’s vigilance in supporting his thesis with surveys into related research, it is not an easy relaxing read. That said, the book does contain a lot of useful information and interesting theories. It’s a worthy read!

** spoiler alert **

I read long ago "The Naked Ape" by William Norris. Didn’t everyone interested in the sciences of evolution read it? And I have since read a lot of scientific papers on anthropology, evolution of species, neurology and human brain, etc. I'm very interested by all these topics. So I loved reading this one.

One could say that this book is divided into two large parts: the nature (innate), first, and the nurture (culture or “memes”), second. Forget the law of the strongest. No, don’t forget it, but add the law of the kindness to it. Because both are necessary for our survival in the human’s world.

Here is its Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments xi
1 The Alien’s Challenge 1
2 Darwin Comes to Mind 15
3 The SeXX/XY Animal 62
4 The Dating, Mating, Baby- Making Animal 119
5 The Altruistic Animal 174
6 The Cultural Animal 219
Appendix A: How to Win an Argument with a Blank Slater 283
Appendix B: How to Win an Argument with an Anti- Memeticist 293
Permissions 305
Notes 307
References 325
Index 355

This is the kind of books that makes you think on every page, "Of course! That's true. Why haven't I figured this out before?!" And then you remember some events of your life that fit perfectly with what you just read. This is where the author shows his genius: he brought together and clearly demonstrated with supporting evidence new and older points of view, original and credible ideas on the evolution of the human species and its culture.

Mr. Stewart-Williams is obviously a smart and daring man (what he says about differences between men and women could spark negative criticisms) and he must be a good teacher in his field. The fact that he teaches, however, shows. Sometimes, it's like being in his classroom. On occasions, it's a good thing, like when he asks us to imagine the alien’s point of view or certain situations of everyday life, as he would certainly ask his students to do; but overall his book is a bit didactic and a little repetitive. Maybe it's a teacher's mnemonic trick to make us remember and believe what he said before. ;)


“Conscience is the inner voice that tells us someone might be looking.”

“We should question the automatic assumption that differences between the sexes necessarily imply discrimination against women. And we should ask what right we have to override people’s preferences regarding their own lives and careers in order to enact our preference for a gender-neutral world.”

On the Alien's report:

“And many [humans] spend hour after hour and day after day sitting in a peculiar trance- like state, staring at flickering images on flat screens – images, for example, of simulated events they know full well never happened, of other human beings mating, or of baby mammals behaving incompetently.”

That's why I give 4 stars to this book.

Thanks to Netgalley for getting me an eArc of this book.

In this book, Steve Stewart-Williams gives us a story of the human animal by taking a look at the human species from a new perspective: through the eyes of a hypothetical, hyperintelligent alien.
" If an alien did drop in on us, how would it view our species?"
This is a fun way of discussing human behaviour and culture, without devolving into baby talk.

The author draws ideas from evolutionary theory to shed light on the human mind and behaviour (i.e. evolutionary psychology); and evolutionary principles to shed light on human culture (i.e. cultural evolutionary theory). Stewart-Williams discusses a variety of multidimensional aspects to provide a deeper understanding of the evolutionary and cultural (memes!) foundation for human behaviour.

The guiding assumption is that:
"humans are animals, and like all animals, we evolved to pass on our genes. At some point, however, we also evolved the capactiy for culture - and from that moment, culture began evolving in its own right. This transformed us from mere ape into an ape capable of reshaping the planet, traveling to other worlds, and understanding the vast universe of which we are but a tiny, fleeting fragment."

This book is well written and the author makes his arguments in a lucid manner without fluffy, irrelevant, biographical side trips. A worthy successor to Desmond Morris' "The Naked Ape" and "The Human Zoo", as well as Richard Dawkins' "The Selfish Gene".

Interesting take on the evolution of humans. It made for some insightful and intriguing reading. I think it's a book anyone interested in humanity will find entertaining . The alien perspective was fun. I often wonder how we DON'T know that other life on our plant doesn't have a culture of it's own. I don't believe we are the pinnacle of life on planet earth. Every group of creatures has their own intelligence and ways of entertaining themselves. Good read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Steve Stewart-Williams for allowing me to read and review The Ape that Understood the Universe. I really enjoyed this book.

Let me start by saying that this book was even further out of my average reading zone than I expected. Don't get me wrong, I chose it specifically because it was out of the realm of what I would normally read, but woah. It has been a relatively long time since I have read (cover to cover) a popular science book, but I would say that this one pushes the line on the 'popular' bit of that genre title. The Ape That Understood the Universe is, as you might guess, about the species Homo Sapiens and how we evolved (literally) to what we are today: essentially, an ape that understands the universe (theoretically!).

I quickly discovered (this will teach me for assuming what a book will be about based on the cover and a scan of the blurb!) that this book teaches you about genetic evolution and evolutionary psychology, and how those two realms actually affect and are affected by each other. I'm not going to lie, I don't have a 'science-brain' so a little of what is in this book was tough for me to wrestle with, but I did actually enjoy that. Not to put too fine a point on it, it's been a while since I was truly challenged by learning something new, mostly because as an academic I 'stay in my lane' most of the time, so my lane is starting to look pretty familiar. This was challenging for me. I mean, I believe in science more than an invisible being in the heavens, so the concept of genetics and genetic evolution isn't something I'm totally unfamiliar with, but nor is it something I've ever really thought about seriously. Going with the lanes analogy, this one is on a superhighway three miles to the left of me.

It was incredibly interesting to learn about normally-incomprehensible topics from someone who clearly knows what they're on about, but also has the knack of explaining these things to non-subject matter experts like yours truly. Could I explain to you exactly what Mr. Stewart-Williams tried to explain to me? Yeah, probably not, except in the most general sense. However, the concepts introduced and the way that they are explained in this book made me really percolate the arguments and evidence being put forward, and I truly enjoyed the appendices at the end of the book (How to win an argument with a blank-slater (i.e., the nurture-only POV-ers)).

Would I have read this book had I actually properly looked at the content? Honestly, probably not and that would have been a damn shame. I really enjoyed this one, and I learned a lot from it. That said, it's never going to be a book you sit down to breeze through and relax with, unless you do have a science-brain and aren't angered by evolutionary psychology which makes scientific sense and I will now fight you about this.

I recommend this book for a bit of brain-training and education, and also just to take a break from what you normally read. It's good for you!

Five star read, people.

That was interesting. I always find myself on the fence when it comes to “nature vs. nurture”, to be honest, because it can be presented in very deterministic ways in which I don’t find my place anyway (a.k.a my instinct to pass on my genes is close to nil, and I’m definitely not a poster child for “maternal behaviours”). So, I was a little worried at first. But I needn’t be, because while the author is definitely on the side of nature rather than nurture when it comes to quite a few behaviours, the explanations make sense, and are actually more along the lines of the “selfish gene”, which is quite different from “survival of the fittest”.

Basically, it’s not about passing on the traits that are useful to our survival. It’s passing on -genes- , which means that if we survive long enough to do that, those genes go on as part of global “package” more suited for survival than not. Subtle difference. Like the peacock’s tail. In itself, the tail’s an impediment, and definitely isn’t what we’d deem an attribute that promotes survival in the face of predators, but having it sends a message that “look, I’m so fit that I’ve managed to survive so far -in spite of my tail-, now let me make you babies”.

Definitely interesting, and something I haven’t read much about recently, so it was a nice change. The beginning of the book, where he imagines an alien scientist observing human beings, was also a welcome shift in point of view, if only because it was amusing, and provided food for thought as well.

Some points could spark controversy, which is expected, especially when it comes to differences between men and women. That’s the kind of thing I’m usually on the fence about—in fact, whoever’s non-binary will probably find them controversial as well, since from the beginning we don’t fit the men vs. women mould. It’s clearly best to approach this scientifically, and not with any socio-psychological approach in mind, because a clash is bound to happen. Still, as mentioned previously, it does make sense, and I can’t (and won’t) say that nothing of that is true. And in the end, there -are- differences anyway. We just have to remember that sex =/= gender, and that whatever occurred in nature doesn’t mean that it’s the ultimate law either (which is a position that the author doesn’t defend anyway, so we’re all good gere). If it was, all men would be serial rapists and would keep murdering their male neighbours for looking a little too pretty for the women around.

Other parts of the book deal with altruistic behaviours, culture, and memes, in other words what is passed socially and not genetically, but following similar principles: the “memes” that survive, like language, survive because one of their side-effects is to be “useful” to the group, while “destructive” memes such as becoming a martyr aren’t too widespread, due to people “practicing” them not leaving that many descendants to follow. (I had a bit more trouble to follow the latter parts, though, because I had the feeling there was some redundancy here.)

Conclusion: Overall, it was an instructive read, while being also funny and easy to follow.

"The Ape That Understood the Universe" by Steve Stewart-Williams is an amazing book that discusses how evolutionary forces shaped human beings, and continue to shape human beings, in terms of culture and psychology. The book begins with a fictitious report by an alien species on the strange life on the planet, asking all sorts of questions that seem obvious once someone points them out. Stewart-Williams then goes on to explain humanity, answering the alien's questions.

I found this book to be interesting, in the good sense of the word. I also found that I could not read it as quickly as I read other books. I would cover one section, and then my brain felt full. There is no better metaphor for the sensation. I spent time thinking about what I read, and sometimes I would even reread sections. It was a slow, wonderfully-engaging narrative that made me think about what it means to be human.

I recommend this book to anyone who wonders about who we as a species are, why we exist, and where we might be going.

Behavior is an interesting field to explore – be it human or animal. I read Sapiens and Homo Deus sometime back and liked them for how the books traced the history of how we Sapiens got to where we are. I very recently read the brilliant ‘Behave’ by Robert Sapolsky, which is far more detailed science writing. “The Ape that understood the universe” was a good book to read shortly after. While Behave explores the genesis of individual motivation and behavior, this book in contrast looks at aggregate behavior based on evolutionary psychology and it does a great job at that.

The book starts off on an interesting note with an essay on how an alien species would look at us. There are a number of things which would come across as strange and difficult to explain. For instance, while many humans fear the dark, we are comfortable with fatty and junk food which is where the real danger to us lies! Steve makes some excellent points – if we studied animal behaviors, we would much better understand our own. Most psychologists however assume humans start as a blank slate and that all explanations for behavior are to be found in the learning from environments. The case for evolutionary psychology which the book builds is extremely strong and convincing. Nurture cannot explain a lot of the examples the author cites. While the simple rule of natural selection is propagation of genes, there is a lot more to this when studied in detail.

The book explores the subject in a lot of depth. The sex differences section is especially interesting as well as well written. Be it the animal kingdom or humans, there is a pattern to behavior between the sexes (in most species the relative sizes provide clues). There is a danger here – especially since this could be taken as a stepping stone to prejudice against women among humans. The book explores natural selection with examples of how traits got selected and passed on. At times, it is a struggle for our genes to catch up with the rapid changes in the environment. There are various examples of group selection, altruistic behavior and culture which are discussed at length. As it turns out, a lot of what humans are can be explained with evolutionary psychology. Humans are unique in many ways certainly, and yet the story of what we are is common with much of the animal kingdom.

The concept of memes (similar to the concept of stories in Sapiens) follows towards the end of the book. Humans behave so as to propagate memes to others in the species and to their descendants (eg: religious beliefs). Memes collide with other memes, and there are winners and losers.

There are parts where matter tends to repeat and slows down the pace of the book, Nevertheless, this is an excellent book on evolutionary psychology and definitely recommended reading.

My rating: 4.25 / 5.

The Ape That Understood The Universe starts off with a fascinating and unique notion:

“Because we’re so used to being human, and to living with humans, we sometimes don’t notice what a peculiar creature we are. As a corrective, I want to begin by looking at our species from a new perspective. We’ll be looking at our species through the eyes of a hypothetical, hyperintelligent alien…”

It is truly a delight and a lot of fun to read what an alien would say about us in regards to our mind, behavior and culture.

“…humans spend many hours of every day making noises at each other through the holes in their faces. Indeed, except when they’re hibernating, humans just don’t shut up!”

“Once a suitable mate is located, humans engage in various peculiar mating rituals. The male, for example, may give the female a bundle of plant genitals (or “flowers”), or the pair may take turns making noises at each other while imbibing fermented plant juice.”

In order to answer the alien’s questions (“How did this hapless creature come to possess such an impressive body of knowledge? How did a mere ape come to understand the vast universe of which it is but a tiny, fleeting fragment?”) Steve Stewart-Williams, an associate professor of psychology, relies on evolutionary psychology and cultural evolutionary theory. His starting point is that we, and other organisms, are designed to pass on our genes. The ways to do this are staying alive and having lots of children as well as helping relatives stay alive and have lots of children.

Stewart-Williams discusses the gene’s-eye view which rather than the traditional approach which says that people replicate themselves and use genes to do it, this new view states that genes replicate themselves and uses the organism to do it. Natural selection will favor the “selfish gene.” It’s all about survival of the fittest gene.

One of the most intriguing parts of the book is the discussion of sex differences and whether they are learned/cultural or innate. Stewart-Williams looks to other animals and explores ten of the most common sex differences in detail, many of which also apply to humans. Most of these differences relate to the maximum number of offspring that a male can have versus a female. It is not surprising therefore that selection will favor different traits in men versus women. The male/female differences examined in terms of nature versus nurture include sexual behavior, mate preferences, porn, aggression, and parental investment.

Stewart-Williams admits he is wading into dangerous waters with the sex differences discussion because of the strong counter view among social scientists and others that stereotypes of men and women are entirely due to social forces. This opposing side sees a sinister motivation among the nature or natural selection approach — they are perceived as trying to stall or reverse women’s progress in society. A lot of evidence is presented comparing non-human mammals and different human cultures.

Stewart-Williams takes on the evolution of our culture, which he says involves the natural selection of our memes (defined as ideas, beliefs or anything passed on through social interaction) just like our genes. It is a fascinating idea, and one I have never considered before, that culture evolves just like biology does. One of my favorite sections is the cultural evolution of the teddy bear. Other domains that undergo cultural evolution include language, business and science.

There can be no doubt that the content of this book has been heavily researched and citations are included. The Ape that Understood the Universe is a dense read that provides a lot of ideas and theories to ponder. Stewart-Williams presents a cogent argument about gene-culture coevolutionary theory (a hybrid of memetic and evolutionary psychology). Many will find a lot of new information contained in this book.

Thank you to Cambridge University Press and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

In the tradition of Yuval Noah Harari's books comes The Ape that Understood the Universe. In this case, however, the extent of the themes from evolution to culture to how an alien might see us is truly fascinating. I really hope this book gets in as many homes as possible. It truly is an important read.

I was very excited to read this book given the title and the excellent reviews that I had read. The first chapter did not disappoint. The second chapter, likewise, was an enjoyable read. Beginning in the third chapter, it seems that Stewart-Williams lost the premise of the book and focussed on human sexual development more than other aspects. The imagined alien became solely interested in sex. There is so much more to the human animal than sex, but Stewart-Williams did not address those attributes.

I will never look at someone with a flower to their nose the same way again...

I am not especially well read in the many evolutionary theories of how we became us, and I think that’s where this book shines. You don’t have to be a cultural or psychological evolutionary post-doctorate to understand the concepts. And Mr. Stewart-Williams wit, humor, and style kept me engaged and entertained. Finishing this book really makes me want to dive much deeper into the topic. I’m glad I was able to review and advanced copy of this, as I know that I will surely be purchasing a hard copy.

Just can’t say it enough, but the wit and style of this ranks it probably in my top 5 non-fiction books.

This book starts with a simple question: what would an alien think of humans?

We feel like we're pretty normal and rational, but Steve Stewart-Williams proves otherwise.
We're a strange primate.

The author delves into many topics, including human sexuality.
As Bill Maher said, "There are no such things as mutual fantasies! Yours bore us; ours offend you."

The author is a big fan of Darwin, evolution, and memes.

Feminist Andrea Dworkin said that a man wants what a woman has: sex. "He can steal it (rape) persuade her to give it away (seduction), rent it (prostitution), lease it over a long-term (marriage in the US), or own it outright (marriage in most societies)."

Beauty is an odd thing, the book observes.
After spending 5 years in Africa, it seems that Africans desire white traits, given all the skin whitening products Sub-Saharans buy and the colored contact lenses.
However, in the 19th century, "Negroes do not like the color of our skin; they look on blue eyes with aversion, and they think our noses too long and our lips too thin." – Winwood Reade, British explorer

This is a great book to give to someone who is politically correct and believes that we're all blank slates.
Reality: human carry a lot of DNA baggage.
The book has an appendix called "How to Win an Argument with a Blank Slater".

He also explains another oddity: why does human altruism exist?

The biggest weakness of this book is that it can be painfully repetitive and verbose, especially if you already buy into his arguments. He drums on them a bit too much or takes too long to get to the point. It's perfect for the skeptic.

#TheApeThatUnderstoodTheUniverse