Moreover, these studies rely on human-centric experimental designs. They involve tasks that other species would never naturally encounter, such as computer touch screens and plastic toys.

The argument of The Arrogant Ape is that human exceptionalism—a.k.a. anthropocentrism or human supremacy—is at the root of the ecological crisis. This pervasive mindset gives humans a sense of dominion over Nature, set apart from and entitled to commodify the earth and other species for our own exclusive benefit. And it’s backfiring on us today, sp

For instance, most claims of humans’ cognitive uniqueness are based on experiments that compare the abilities of captive chimpanzees with those of fully autonomous Western humans. The overwhelming conclusion of these studies is that humans clearly outperform apes in various cognitive domains including theory of mind, cooperation, altruism, metacogn

The research becomes a powerful metaphor for ways of understanding and living in the world—ways that Indigenous cultures have long modeled and protected.

But when we let the ideology of human supremacy infiltrate science, it leads to biases that perpetuate human exceptionalism rather than a more humble, authentic view of human capabilities.

When you perceive the world as an object, its destruction becomes meaningless. But when you understand that the world is an animate entity of which you are a part, activism isn’t a choice; it becomes a way of life.

Psychologists have shown that people overemphasize their own abilities and accomplishments to conceal actual feelings of shortcoming and failure. When it comes to other species, do we have a so-called superiority complex? After all, we’re not the biggest, fastest, or strongest. Blue whales, cheetahs, and rhinoceros beetles outdo us there. Nor are w

As the wool is pulled away from their eyes, they come to experience Nature as more alive, animate, and aware. A walk through campus or the woods is never the same; it’s an opportunity to interact with a multitude of other lifeforms, to feel a part of something greater than the self.

what people do about Nature depends on how they see themselves in relation to Nature.