01/15/2020 - 01/17/2020
I think there was a lot here that I connected with. This quarter, I am taking a physical anthropology course, and we are discussing evolution. And so, I figured it was about time that I finally read this book.
I was a big fan of Jane Goodall since I was a child. I had always supported her work, and I admired her greatly. I've had a copy of this book for over a year, and I kept putting off reading it. I think it's because I knew that she would be detailing her own beliefs in God in relation to her support of evolutionist theory, and I was worried it would lead to me disagreeing with her too much.
Luckily, I was pleasantly surprised when I read this. There is a lot of discussion of morality, which as someone who studied philosophy for over two years and continues to, I found very insightful to her experiences as a fieldwork anthropologist that lived alone with just animals, an experience I have never and likely will never have.
I have a newfound further admiration for Jane Goodall, and I am glad that I do. Although I disagreed with the creationism, it was minute in comparison to what I learned while reading this book. As a vegan, I think this is also a much more moving work of literature than I am used to on topics of such. It has also shifted my perspective. I was an environmental vegan because of obvious reasons, but I did not disagree with the murdering of animals. I told myself that it was just natural, but it should be done in better ways that harms the environment less.
I now disagree. I can't look at meat anymore. I am repulsed by it, and all I can think about is that it is murder of a life. It's cruelty that was not needed. It may be natural for animals to consume other animals, but they are doing it to survive. We do not need to create suffering to live. I think that is the biggest thing I have pulled from this book.
I will update this entry with annotations soon.
Synopsis
Her revolutionary studies of Tanzania's chimpanzees forever altered our definition of "humanity." Now, intriguing as always, Jane Goodall explores her deepest convictions in a heartfelt memoir that takes her from the London Blitz to Louis Leaky's famous excavations in Africa and then into the forests of Gombe. From the unforgettable moment when a wild chimpanzee gently grasps her hand to the terror of a hostage-taking and the sorrow of her husband's death. Here, thoughtfully exploring the challenges of both science and the soul, she offers an inspiring, optimistic message as profound as the knowledge she brought back from the forests, and that gives us all...reason for hope.
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