ABSTRACT

Philosophers have traditionally concentrated on the qualities that make human beings different from other species. In Beast and Man Mary Midgley, one of our foremost intellectuals, stresses continuities. What makes people tick? Largely, she asserts, the same things as animals. She tells us humans are rather more like other animals than we previously allowed ourselves to believe, and reminds us just how primitive we are in comparison to the sophistication of many animals. A veritable classic for our age, Beast and Man has helped change the way we think about ourselves and the world in which we live.

part |2 pages

PART IConceptual Problems of an Unusual Species

chapter 1|15 pages

HAVE WE A NATURE?

chapter 2|18 pages

ANIMALS AND THE PROBLEM OF EVIL

chapter 3|23 pages

INSTINCT, NATURE, AND PURPOSE

part |2 pages

PART IIArt and Science in Psychology

chapter 4|13 pages

DIRECTIONS WITHOUT A DIRECTOR

chapter 5|7 pages

ON TAKING MOTIVES SERIOUSLY

chapter 6|18 pages

ALTRUISM AND EGOISM

part |2 pages

PART IIISignposts

chapter 7|14 pages

UP AND DOWN

chapter 8|7 pages

EVOLUTION AND PRACTICAL THINKING

chapter 9|18 pages

FACTS AND VALUES

part |2 pages

PART IVThe Marks of Man

chapter 10|37 pages

SPEECH AND OTHER EXCELLENCES

chapter 11|24 pages

ON BEING ANIMAL AS WELL AS RATIONAL

chapter 12|25 pages

WHY WE NEED A CULTURE

part |2 pages

PART VThe Common Heritage

chapter 13|32 pages

THE UNITY OF LIFE