THE IMPERIAL ANIMAL

by Lionel & Robin Fox Tiger ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 27, 1971

The chief point here is that the primate roots of human behavior have led men (read males) to become political animals, and that social behaviors involving dominance and attention-getting found among various ape species manifest themselves in human terms as imperial, non-democratic power politics. In ape society, males achieve power as the dominant breeders but in human society the agricultural and industrial revolutions have altered this primal tendency through the introduction of economic class strata. Following this politico-economic theory, Tiger and Fox examine the fundamental social bonds they feel are built into man's nature, positing the overriding importance of mother-child and male-male bonds over malefemale or female-female, a familiar premise based on man's millions of years of accrued experience as a group hunter. Later chapters survey the special role of education and discuss the cultural equivalents of primate grooming, e.g., gossip, sports, various medical practices. This book is an effective ethological commentary on the development of human behavioral patterns, argued with restraint though at times the language is awkward.

Pub Date: Sept. 27, 1971

ISBN: 1560009624

Page Count: -

Publisher: Holt, Rinehart & Winston

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1971

Categories: NONFICTION