"Would Nietzsche have been happier — and would the world overall have been a better place — had the philosopher been born some other species other than human? On its face, it sounds like an absurd question. But in If Nietzsche Were a Narwhal: What Animal Intelligence Reveals About Human Stupidity, scientist Justin Gregg convincingly argues that the answer is yes — and not only for Nietzsche, but for all of us. 'Human cognition and animal cognition are not all that different, but where human cognition is more complex, it does not always produce a better outcome,' Gregg writes. Animals are doing just fine without it, and, as the book jacket says, 'miraculously, their success arrives without the added baggage of destroying themselves and the planet in the process.'

"Gregg — who holds a doctorate from Trinity College Dublin’s School of Psychology, teaches at St. Francis Xavier University, and has conducted research on dolphin social cognition — acknowledges that human history is marked by incredible breakthroughs that hinge on our intelligence. Yet, nonhuman animals do not need human-level intelligence to survive and be evolutionary successful, as Gregg points out, which is why this trait isn’t more prevalent across species." - Rachel Nuwer

Book Review: The Downside of Human Exceptionalism