Sunday, May 17, 2009

The Human Animal by Demond Morris



Despite what we look like today, us humans have got similar habits to our ancestors millions of years ago. We may have different eye colour, skin, hair styles and be armed with computers, the internet, mobile phones and automobiles however, deep in the primitive mind, we are still animals. We still have our rituals. We still love our wars on and off the footy or cricket field. Also, our gestures haven't changed all that much either.

I received this book from my Mum one Christmas when I begged her to buy it for me. It cost a small fortune; however, I found I couldn't get my mind around it. About a decade passed and I was spending New Year's Eve alone and I pulled it off the bookshelf, opened the front cover and delved straight in. Desmond Morris opened my mind and eyes to a new world of studying human behaviour; even my own. I look forward to tracking down his other works and reading them too.

Desmond Morris is one of the world's most recognised zoologists. When he became famous for his films and programmes on animal behaviour, he turned his attention to study human behaviour. He has been studying the human body and our animal behaviour for some time with his first book called 'The Naked Ape' which was published in 1967. Since then, he has written many other best sellers including 'The Human Zoo', 'Intimate Behaviour', 'Manwatching' and 'Bodywatching'. (From the back blurb of his book.)

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