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Chimps cannot tell us anything about peaceful relations, because chimps have only different degrees of hostility between communities. Whereas bonobos do tell us something; they tell us about the possibility of having peaceful relationships.

From Frans de Waal

Bonobo studies started in the '70s and came to fruition in the '80s. Then in the '90s, all of a sudden, boom, they ended because of the warfare in the Congo. It was really bad for the bonobo and ironic that people with their warfare were preventing us from studying the hippies of the primate world.

From Frans de Waal

Very long ago our ancestors had moral systems. Our current institutions are only a couple of thousand years old, which is really not old in the eyes of a biologist.

From Frans de Waal

Religion may have become a codification of morality, and it may fortify it, but it's not the origin of it.

From Frans de Waal

I'm personally a nonbeliever, so I'm struggling with if we really need religion.

From Frans de Waal

Personally, I think it is possible to build a society that is moral on a nonreligious basis, but the jury is still out on that.

From Frans de Waal

You should know as much as you can about the human species if you have a hand in designing human society.

From Frans de Waal

I think the sense of fairness in humans is very strongly developed, and that's why we react so strongly to all the bonuses received by Wall Street executives. We want to know why they deserve these benefits.

From Frans de Waal

After World War II it was decided that, in order to prevent the Germans and the French from having another war, it would be better to tie them together into one economic pact so they would invest in each other and have mutual stakes. Until now, that has worked to prevent warfare between the two.

From Frans de Waal

If you look at national economies today, for example, the American economy, the European economy, the Indians, the Chinese, we're all tied together. If one of them sinks, the rest are going to sink with them and if one floats, the rest are lifted up. I find that very interesting.

From Frans de Waal

Frans de Waal

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