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" The fact that the apes exist and that we can study them is extremely important and makes us reflect on ourselves and our human nature. In that sense alone, you need to protect the apes. "
Frans de Waal
Need
Alone
Human Nature
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" There are beautiful examples of art done by chimpanzees in human care. "
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" The primate laugh is given in playful contexts, and as such has a strong similarity to the human laugh. "
Frans de Waal
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" We need to separate the process of evolution - which is, indeed, a self-serving process - and the actual motivations of animals. "
Frans de Waal
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" The more self-aware an animal is, the more empathetic it tends to be. "
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" Bonobo studies started in the '70s and came to fruition in the '80s. Then in the '90s, all of a sudden, boom, they ended because of the warfare in the Congo. It was really bad for the bonobo and ironic that people with their warfare were preventing us from studying the hippies of the primate world. "
Frans de Waal
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" Chimpanzees, typically, kiss and embrace after fights. They first make eye contact from a distance to see the mood of the others. Then they approach and kiss and embrace. "
Frans de Waal
Mood
Distance
See
" I think we need to start thinking about grounding our moral systems in our biology. "
Frans de Waal
Our
Think
Thinking
" The intuitive connection children feel with animals can be a tremendous source of joy. The unconditional love received from pets, and the lack of artifice in the relationship, contrast sharply with the much trickier dealings with members of their own species. "
Frans de Waal
Love
Feel
Children
" I was born in Den Bosch, where the painter Hieronymus Bosch named himself after. And so I've always been very fond of this painter who lived and worked in the 15th century. "
Frans de Waal
Born
Where
I Was Born
" I am personally not against keeping animals at zoos, as they serve a huge educational purpose, but treating them well and with respect seems the least we could do, and with 'we' I mean not just zoo staff, but most certainly also the public. "
Frans de Waal
Purpose
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" There are many reasons for kindness, and religion is just one of them. "
Frans de Waal
Just One
Kindness
Religion
" The thinking is that we started evolving language not by speaking but by gesturing. "
Frans de Waal
Thinking
Language
Started
" It is well known that apes in the wild offer spontaneous assistance to each other, defending against leopards, say, or consoling distressed companions with tender embraces. "
Frans de Waal
Well
Wild
Spontaneous
" Personally, I think it is possible to build a society that is moral on a nonreligious basis, but the jury is still out on that. "
Frans de Waal
Build
Possible
Moral
" Religions have a strong binding function and a cohesive element. They emphasize the primacy of the community as opposed to the individual, and they also help set one community apart from another that doesn't share their beliefs. "
Frans de Waal
Community
Help
Religions
" What is the evolutionary value of blushing? It seems not to be to our advantage to do it, to involuntarily reveal our inner emotions. If we're trying to manipulate or lie, actions in furtherance of individual goals as opposed to the goals of others, blushing would not seem to be helpful. And yet everyone blushes, except the psychopath. "
Frans de Waal
Lie
Trying
Value
" Female bonobos form a strong sisterhood. They rule through female solidarity. "
Frans de Waal
Through
Strong
Sisterhood
" Experiments with animals have long been handicapped by our anthropocentric attitude: We often test them in ways that work fine with humans but not so well with other species. "
Frans de Waal
Test
Attitude
Animals
" Many economists are great believers in the idea that everything in nature is competitive and that we should set up a society which is competitive to reflect that. Anyone who cannot keep up, well, too bad. "
Frans de Waal
Society
Reflect
Nature
" Scientists are supposed to study animals in a totally objective fashion, similar to the way we inspect a rock or measure the circumference of a tree trunk. Emotions are not to interfere with the assessment. The animal-rights movement capitalizes on this perception, depicting scientists as devoid of compassion. "
Frans de Waal
Fashion
Perception
Compassion
" Exclusive homosexuality is not very common in nature. "
Frans de Waal
Homosexuality
Nature
Exclusive
" If there is any form of contagion that is adaptive, it is the immediate response to the fear of others. If others are fearful, there may be good reason for you to be fearful too. "
Frans de Waal
Others
You
Fear
" Future benefits rarely figure in the minds of animals. "
Frans de Waal
Minds
Benefits
Animals
" Most exotic animals are not particularly interested in people, which makes it hard to provoke them. Human-rearing gets them used to and sometimes imprinted on humans, which makes them potentially dangerous. "
Frans de Waal
People
Dangerous
Sometimes
" I have often noticed how primate groups in their entirety enter a similar mood. All of a sudden, all of them are playful, hopping around. Or all of them are grumpy. Or all of them are sleepy and settle down. In such cases, the mood contagion serves the function of synchronizing activities. "
Frans de Waal
How
Playful
Mood
" I'm personally a nonbeliever, so I'm struggling with if we really need religion. "
Frans de Waal
Personally
Religion
Really
" A chimpanzee who is really gearing up for a fight doesn't waste time with gestures but just goes ahead and attacks. "
Frans de Waal
Up
Just
Time
" War is evitable if conditions are such that the costs of making war are higher than the benefits. "
Frans de Waal
Benefits
War
Than
" The role of inequity in society is grossly underestimated. Inequity is not good for your health, basically. "
Frans de Waal
Role
Good
Your
" Science is not inherently good. "
Frans de Waal
Good
Science
Inherently