Beasts: What Animals Can Teach Us About the Origins of Good and Evil

Masson (When Elephants Weep) explores here what animals can teach us about good and evil. He argues that humans have often categorized animals as "beasts" to imply that they are immoral and uncivilized. However, he continues, animals have a kind of morality and are in fact generally much less violent than humans. In some cases where animals are violent—such as cases of chimpanzee-on-chimpanzee attack—Masson argues the aggression may be owing to human interference. He views agriculture and domestication of animals as unfortunate developments in human history leading to an unhealthy relationship between humans and animals, one that he believes has led to a psychological traumatization that perpetuates human violence. Masson's animal rights philosophy and veganism clearly influence how he frames his argument, and in some places the case seems too simplistic. He does admit that some facts don't fit with his views. Nonetheless, this is a thought-provoking look into animal behavior and violence, with some new observations on the subject, demonstrating that animal behavior is a field of study in which much more research awaits.