'Entertaining and original... Gregg is a brilliant communicator of complex ideas with a
writing style that is rich in both humour and detail.' Guardian 'A fascinating work of popular
science... Accessible and insightful it's a thought-provoking read.' Observer 'By melding
science history and philosophy the book becomes a highly readable and on occasion quite
surprising tour of the limits of consciousness.' The Times 'No one who reads Gregg's witty and
instructive book will come away without having learnt some humbling truths about themselves and
their animal kin.' New Statesman 'His understanding of human and animal cognition provides real
insight into how we think.' Financial Times 'Nothing less than brilliant' Wall Street Journal
What if human intelligence is actually more of a liability than a gift? After all the animal
kingdom in all its diversity gets by just fine without it. At first glance human history is
full of remarkable feats of intelligence yet human exceptionalism can be a double-edged sword.
With our unique cognitive prowess comes severe consequences including existential angst
violence discrimination and the creation of a world teetering towards climate catastrophe.
What if human exceptionalism is more of a curse than a blessing? As Justin Gregg puts it
there's an evolutionary reason why human intelligence isn't more prevalent in the animal
kingdom. Simply put non-human animals don't need it to be successful. And miraculously their
success arrives without the added baggage of destroying themselves and the planet in the
process. In seven mind-bending and hilarious chapters Gregg highlights features seemingly
unique to humans - our use of language our rationality our moral systems our so-called
sophisticated consciousness - and compares them to our animal brethren. What emerges is both
demystifying and remarkable and will change how you look at animals humans and the meaning
of life itself.
