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** Financial Times Best Books for Summer** ''Entertaining and original.'' Guardian ''Accessible and insightful, it''s a thought-provoking read.'' Observer '' Highly readable.'' The Times ''Nothing less than brilliant.'' Wall Street Journal What if human intelligence is actually more of a liability than a gift? After all, the animal kingdom, in all its diversity, gets by just fine without it. At first glance, human history is full of remarkable feats of intelligence, yet human exceptionalism can be a double-edged sword. With our unique cognitive prowess comes severe consequences, including existential angst, violence, discrimination, and the creation of a world teetering towards climate catastrophe. What if human exceptionalism is more of a curse than a blessing? As Justin Gregg puts it, there''s an evolutionary reason why human intelligence isn''t more prevalent in the animal kingdom. Simply put, non-human animals don''t need it to be successful. And, miraculously, their success arrives without the added baggage of destroying themselves and the planet in the process. In seven mind-bending and hilarious chapters, Gregg highlights features seemingly unique to humans - our use of language, our rationality, our moral systems, our so-called sophisticated consciousness - and compares them to our animal brethren. What emerges is both demystifying and remarkable, and will change how you look at animals, humans, and the meaning of life itself.
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Dr Justin Gregg is a senior research associate with the Dolphin Communication Project and adjunct professor at St. Francis Xavier University where he lectures on animal behaviour and cognition. He received his PhD from the School of Psychology in Trinity College Dublin, having studied dolphin social cognition. As a science writer, he has written for The Wall Street Journal, Aeon Magazine, Scientific America, BBC Focus, Slate, and others, and he regularly lectures on topics related to animal minds. He currently lives in rural Nova Scotia, where he writes about science and contemplates the inner lives of the crows that live near his home.
