Monkey Business | Interview: Jonathan Leaf

About this episode

Jonah Goldberg interviews Jonathan Leaf about the similarities between humans and apes, exploring various aspects of animal and human behavior.

For years, Jonah Goldberg’s enemies, acquaintances, and wife have accused him of being little more than a slightly advanced proboscis monkey. Today’s guest, author Jonathan Leaf, is here to prove them definitively wrong. Jonah and Jonathan explore how similar humans and apes actually are, while also touching on warlike animals, humans and the herd, chimp violence, the Jets, polygamy, language, hardwiring, Jane Goodall, and preferential homosexuality along the way. Show Notes: —Jonathan Leaf - The Primate Myth: Why the Latest Science Leads Us to a New Theory of Human Nature —James C. Scott - Against the Grain: A Deep History of the Earliest States —Steven Pinker - The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined —Robert Wright: The Moral Animal: Why We Are, the Way We Are: The New Science of Evolutionary Psychology —Atlantic piece - “The YOLO Presidency” —James Q. Wilson - The Moral Sense —City Journal review of The Primate Myth —L&L Review —Ed West’s Substack review —Washington Free Beacon review —Religion and Liberty Online review Buy your tickets ⁠here⁠ to see a live taping of The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg and Sarah Isgur. How ⁠to access⁠ your members-only…

People in this episode

Host: Jonah Goldberg

Guest: Jonathan Leaf

Topics covered

• human evolution
• animal behavior
• violence
• language
• polygamy
• chimpanzees
• cultural commentary

Keywords

• proboscis monkey
• chimp violence
• human nature
• Jane Goodall
• preferential homosexuality
• animal behavior
• cultural commentary

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: City Journal, Washington Free Beacon, Religion and Liberty Online

Books & works: The Primate Myth: Why the Latest Science Leads Us to a New Theory of Human Nature, Against the Grain: A Deep History of the Earliest States, The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined, The Moral Animal: Why We Are, the Way We Are: The New Science of Evolutionary Psychology, The YOLO Presidency

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