This funny, "extraordinary and thought-provoking" (The Wall Street Journal) book asks whether we are in fact the superior species. As it turns out, the truth is stranger—and far more interesting—than we have been led to believe. If Nietzsche Were a Narwhal overturns everything we thought we knew about human intelligence, and asks the question: would humans be better off as narwhals? Or some other, less brainy species? There’s a good argument to be made that humans might be a less successful animal species precisely because of our amazing, complex intelligence. All our unique gifts like language, math, and science do not make us happier or more “successful” (evolutionarily speaking) than other species. Our intelligence allowed us to split the atom, but we’ve harnessed that knowledge to make machines of war. We are uniquely susceptible to bullshit (though, cuttlefish may be the best liars in the animal kingdom); our bizarre obsession with lawns has contributed to the growing threat of climate change; we are sexually diverse like many species yet stand apart as homophobic; and discriminate among our own as if its natural, which it certainly is not. Is our intelligence more of a curse than a gift? As scientist Justin Gregg persuasively argues, 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 one feature seemingly unique to humans—our use of language, our rationality, our moral systems, our so-called sophisticated consciousness—and compares it to our animal brethren. Along the way, remarkable tales of animal smarts emerge, as you’ll discover: “A dazzling, delightful read on what animal cognition can teach us about our own mental shortcomings.” —Adam Grant The house cat who’s better at picking winning stocks than actual fund managers Elephants who love to drink Pigeons who are better than radiologists at spotting cancerous tissue Bumblebees who are geniuses at teaching each other soccer What emerges is both demystifying and remarkable, and will change how you look at animals, humans, and the meaning of life itself. San Francisco Chronicle bestseller • BOOKRIOT Best Books of the Year • Next Big Idea Book Club Best Science Books of the Year “I love the book, and everyone should read it.” —Ryan Holiday "Undeniably entertaining." —TheNew York Times

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 Mike is a day trader who was wrong about the stock market in 2009. He lost everything and had to quit trading full-time. He continued to dabble in stocks, betting on long-shot stocks that could potentially make him a millionaire, until he found GameStop. #2 Mike was not prescient. He just got lucky. He was not prescient because he was not a professional. He was a day trader who had lost everything in 2009 and continued to dabble in stocks until he found GameStop in 2020, which he then bought options on and made $25 million. -> The story of Mike is not that it takes serious smarts and years of experience studying the stock market to correctly predict why and when stock prices will rise and fall. It just takes luck. #3 The stock market is a crapshoot. Some people are lucky and make big profits, while others are not. #4 Humans are the why specialist species. We have a burning desire to understand cause and effect, which distinguishes us from other animals. But this ability did not give us an edge when it came to stock price predictions.

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An expert on Nietzsche presents highlights from The Birth of Tragedy, Thus Spake Zarathustra, Beyond Good and Evil, and other works, and explains their significance to modern readers.

Six works selected from Nietzsche's writings reflect the philosopher's critique of Western morality and insights into Christianity and art.

A rich selection from the whole range of Nietzsche's work, including Twilight of the Idols , The Anti-Christ , Nietzsche Contra Wagner and Thus Spake Zarathustra .

Beyond Good and Evil by philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche discusses the theory of the "will to truth." At the heart of Nietzsche's argument is the idea that to learn the truth, a human being must question everything. Everything she or he has ever learned or observed must be reexamined. Nothing is free from this self-interrogation, and that includes self-perception, societal teachings, and religion. Nietzsche proposes that any human being has the capability to do this, but most do not because they lack the ambition to dig through everything they have ever learned to question its validity. Nietzsche does not value those who have not the desire to delve into the deepest areas of their mind to find the truth.So where does Nietzsche get his truth from? He writes that his theories are a result of the intensity of his education, particularly the study of Ancient Greek and modern philosophers. However, he thinks little of newer philosophers. While he believes they may raise unique and interesting points, he believes them to be untried and untested.Two of Nietzsche's main viewpoints rise to the surface in Beyond Good and Evil. The first topic that is near and dear to him is that of intelligence. He makes the effort to highlight the foolishness of humans throughout history. He insists that a person's upbringing is no excuse for not pursuing or using intelligence. The second topic which heavily permeates this book is Nietzsche's opinion of women. His opinion is not generous, as he believes that females are incompetent and should simply be quiet and do as men tell them to do. He does not believe women have the mental capacity to grasp knowledge, therefore, they must rely solely on instinct.Though Nietzsche points out that morality and immorality are polar opposites, he paradoxically insists that nothing can be split into black and white--there exist only shades of gray. This argument, in particular, forms the foundation for his discussion of religion. He proposes that faith requires one to sacrifice one's truth. This is where he says that there are only shades of gray between the faithful and the atheist.In Beyond Good and Evil, blind faith is the enemy of the will to truth. He also discusses what he believes is the importance of tempo in language. He suggests that a misunderstanding of tempo leads to inaccuracies in translation. In fact, the translation of Beyond Good and Evil into English has some inaccuracies, but whether or not they are due to tempo is not clear. Nietzsche believes that if this were not an issue, then other cultures would have a better understanding of both ancient and modern philosophies.Getting further into Nietzsche's ideals of intelligence, he believes that anyone who is unwilling to cast off the traditions of their faith, what they have learned from parents and society, and what they think they know to be true in order to discover their real truth, is stupid or doltish. He has no time for these individuals and even discusses how he abandons friendships if he discovers the other party to possess this doltish quality. He also thinks that anyone who is not of German heritage is subject to this classification, since he believes that only the German language provides an understanding of philosophical truth.Friedrich Nietzsche was not only a philosopher, but also a poet, cultural critic, and philologist. When he was twenty-four years old, he became the youngest-ever Chair of Classical Philology at the University of Basel. This happened in 1869, and he took great pride in his position, in teaching, and in continuing his own studies. Ten years later, he was forced to resign due to illness, and he died eleven years after that, in 1900. He was prone to illness since his youth, and suffered severe migraines, near blindness, and violent indigestion issues. In 1889, he experienced a mental breakdown after reportedly trying to save a horse from being flogged...