FRANS DE WAAL

'Frans B.M. de Waal', PhD (b. 1948, 's Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands) is a psychologist, primatologist and ethologist. He is the Charles Howard Candler professor of Primate Behavior in the Emory University psychology department in Atlanta, Georgia, and director of the Living Links Center at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center^[1] and author of numerous books including ''Chimpanzee Politics'' and ''Our Inner Ape''. His research centers on primate social behavior, including conflict resolution, cooperation, inequity aversion, and food-sharing. In 1993, he was elected to the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, and was elected as a foreign associate of the United States National Academy of Sciences in 2004.

Contents

Education

Career

De Waal's Law

Quotes

Selected bibliography

Books

Articles

External links

Education

In 1977, de Waal received his doctorate in biology from Utrecht University after training as a zoologist and ethologist. His dissertation research concerned aggressive behavior and formation in macaques.

Career

In 1975, de Waal began a six-year project on the world's largest captive colony of chimpanzees at the Arnhem Zoo. The study resulted in many scientific papers, and resulted in publication of his first book, ''Chimpanzee Politics'', in 1982.
In 1981, he moved to the United States for a position at the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, and took his current position at Emory and the Yerkes National Primate Research Center in 1991.
His research into the innate capacity for empathy among primates has led de Waal to the conclusion that non-human great apes and humans are simply different types of apes, and that there is little difference between these species.
His book, ''Our Inner Ape'', examines human behavior through the eyes of a primatologist, using the behavior of common chimpanzees and bonobos as metaphors for human psychology.
de Waal was named one of ''Time'' magazine's most influential 100 people in 2007.
de Waal also works in the field of social psychology. de Waal is currently on the Editorial Board of Greater Good Magazine, published by the Greater Good Science Center of the University of California, Berkeley. de Waal's contributions include the interpretation of scientific research into the roots of compassion, altruism, and peaceful human relationships.
Besides being a contributor, de Waal, also has an article on Empathy in Greater Good magazine. He further writes a column for ''Psychologie'', a popular Dutch monthly magazine.

De Waal's Law

People such as primatologists and zookeepers who work on a daily basis with apes, always have a high opinion of apes' intelligence and abilities. Those who attempt to minimize apes' language abilities and cognitive skills are always people with little or no first-hand experience with apes.

Quotes

"The possibility that empathy resides in parts of the brain so ancient that we share them with rats should give pause to anyone comparing politicians with those poor, underestimated creatures."
"I've argued that many of what philosophers call moral sentiments can be seen in other species. In chimpanzees and other animals, you see examples of sympathy, empathy, reciprocity, a willingness to follow social rules. Dogs are a good example of a species that have and obey social rules; that's why we like them so much, even though they're large carnivores."^[2]

Selected bibliography

Books

★ ''Primates and Philosophers, How Morality Evolved'', 2006.

★ ''Our Inner Ape''. New York: Riverhead Books, 2005. ISBN 1-57322-312-3

★ ''The Complete Capuchin'' 2004.

★ '' (edited with Peter L. Tyack). Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2003. ISBN 0-674-00929-0.

★ ''My Family Album, Thirty Years of Primate Photography'' 2003.

★ ''The Ape and the Sushi Master, Cultural reflections by a primatologist''. New York: Basic Books, 2001. ISBN 0-465-04175-2

★ ''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2000. ISBN 0-8018-6336-8.

★ ''Natural Conflict Resolution''. 2000 (with Filippo Aureli)

★ ''. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1997. ISBN 0-520-20535-9 (with Frans Lanting)

★ ''. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1996. ISBN 0-674-35660-8

★ ''Peacemaking Among Primates''. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1989. ISBN 0-674-65920-1

★ Chimpanzee Politics.Jonathan Cape, London 1982. ISBN 0-224-01874-4.

Articles

★ 2006, "Self-recognition in an Asian elephant", ''PNAS'', vol 103, no 45, 17053-17057

★ 2001, "Do Humans Alone 'Feel Your Pain'?" (Chronicle.com, October 26 2001)

★ 1999, "The End of Nature Versus Nurture", ''Scientific American'', vol 281, no 6, p 94-99

★ 1995, "Bonobo Sex and Society", ''Scientific American'', vol 272, no 3, p 82-88

External links

★ Living Links Center, currently directed by Frans de Waal

★ Emory.edu - 'Frans B. M. de Waal, C. H. Candler Professor of Primate Behavior', Emory University faculty homepage

★ 92Y.org - 'Talking Primates with Dr. Frans de Waal' (August 25 2005 Blog ]

★ AmericanScientist.org - 'The Bookshelf talks with Frans de Waal', ''American Scientist'' (2001)

★ ITConversations.com - 'Frans de Waal, Comparative Primatologist' (includes mp3 audio clip; October 21 2004)

★ PaulaGordon.com - 'Natural Goodness', Paula Gordon

★ PNAS.org - 'Profile of Frans B. M. de Waal', Regina Nuzz, ''Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences'' (PNAS)

★ de Waal's editorial contribution to social psychology in Greater Good magazine