Overview
This funny,Ā "extraordinary and thought-provoking" (The Wall Street Journal)Ā book asks whether we are in fact the superior species. As it turns out, the truth is strangerāand far more interestingāthan we have been led to believe.
If Nietzsche Were a NarwhalĀ overturns everything we thought we knew about human intelligence, and asks the question: would humans be better off as narwhals? Or some other, less brainy species? Thereās a good argument to be made that humans might be a less successful animal species precisely because of our amazing, complex intelligence. Ā
All our unique gifts like language, math, and science do not make us happier or more āsuccessfulā (evolutionarily speaking) than other species. Our intelligence allowed us to split the atom, but weāve harnessed that knowledge to make machines of war. We are uniquely susceptible to bullshit (though, cuttlefish may be the best liars in the animal kingdom); our bizarre obsession with lawns has contributed to the growing threat of climate change; we are sexually diverse like many species yet stand apart as homophobic; and discriminate among our own as if its natural, which it certainly is not.Ā Is our intelligence more of a curse than a gift?Ā Ā Ā
As scientist Justin Gregg persuasively argues, thereās an evolutionary reason why human intelligence isnāt more prevalent in the animal kingdom. Simply put, non-human animals donāt need it to be successful. And, miraculously, their success arrives without the added baggage of destroying themselves and the planet in the process.Ā In seven mind-bending and hilarious chapters, Gregg highlights one feature seemingly unique to humansāour use of language, our rationality, our moral systems, our so-called sophisticated consciousnessāand compares it to our animal brethren. Along the way, remarkable tales of animal smarts emerge, as youāll discover:Ā
āA dazzling, delightful read on what animal cognition can teach us about our own mental shortcomings.ā āAdam Grant
- Ā Ā The house cat whoās better at picking winning stocks than actual fund managersĀ
- Ā Ā Elephants who love to drink
- Ā Ā Pigeons who are better than radiologists at spotting cancerous tissue
- Ā Ā Bumblebees who are geniuses at teaching each other soccer
What emerges is both demystifying and remarkable, and will change how you look at animals, humans, and the meaning of life itself.
San Francisco Chronicle bestseller ā¢Ā Ā BOOKRIOT Best Books of the YearĀ ā¢Ā Next Big Idea Book Club Best Science Books of the Year
āI love the book, and everyone should read it.ā āRyanĀ Holiday
"Undeniably entertaining." āTheNew York TimesĀ
This book title, If Nietzsche Were a Narwhal (What Animal Intelligence Reveals About Human Stupidity) - 9780316388160, ISBN: 9780316388160, by Justin Gregg, published by Little, Brown and Company (October 3, 2023) is available in paperback. Our minimum order quantity is 25 copies. All standard bulk book orders ship FREE in the continental USA and delivered in 4-10 business days.
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