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The Evolution of a Social Mind
University Of Chicago Press
May 2007
On Sale: May 15, 2007
358 pages
ISBN: 0226102432
EAN: 9780226102436
Hardcover
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Non-Fiction
In 1838 Charles Darwin jotted in a notebook, “He who
understands baboon would do more towards metaphysics than
Locke.” Fifteen years ago, following the extraordinary
success of their How Monkeys See the World, Dorothy Cheney
and Robert Seyfarth set out to take up Darwin’s challenge.
Baboon Metaphysics is their fascinating response. Cheney and Seyfarth set up camp in Botswana’s Okavango
Delta, where they could intimately observe baboons and their
social world. Baboons are a perfect model for such a study
because they live in groups of up to 150, including a
handful of males and eight or nine matrilineal families of
females. Such numbers force baboons to form a complicated
mix of short-term bonds for mating and longer-term
friendships based on careful calculations of status and
individual need. The result is enough interpersonal drama to
rival Jane Austen, as the baboons make and break alliances
and try to anticipate the actions of their friends and
rivals, all while avoiding frequent attacks by predators. But Baboon Metaphysics is concerned with much more than just
baboons’ social organization—Cheney and Seyfarth aim to
fully comprehend the intelligence that underlies it. How do
baboons actually conceive of the world and their place in
it? Using innovative field experiments, the authors test
whether baboons understand kinship relations, how they make
use of vocal communication, and how they manage the stress
and dangers of life in the wild. They learn that for
baboons, just as for humans, family and friends hold the key
to mitigating the ill effects of grief, stress, and anxiety. Written with a scientist’s precision and a nature-lover’s
eye, Baboon Metaphysics gives us an unprecedented and
compelling glimpse into the mind of another species.
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