Frans de Waal is a professor in Emory University's Psychology Department and director of the Living Links Center at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center. He has been named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People.

In this cogent book, de Waal makes a good case against the idea that humanity is the measure of all things. Although men and women have been studying animal behavior for a long time, there still exists a widespread sentiment that creatures that fly, slither on the ground, swim, or walk on four or eight legs are lesser beings than people. Religions have been especially guilty of giving humans the right to dominate animals and the earth.

Using the latest material from animal research, de Waal reveals the versatility and resilience of nonhuman minds. For example, he notes that some Japanese macaques dip sweet potatoes in the sea to make them more salty. New Caledonian crows create tools from tree branches to ferret out termites.

De Waal provides many more examples of the intelligence of chimpanzees, birds, dolphins, elephants, orcas, and octopuses. By learning more about the evolutionary cognition of animals, we might stumble upon fresh insights into consciousness, choice, and behavior.