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The dynamics of behaviour development. An epigenetic view
188
It is a pity that this publication was not suppressed so that much of the material it comprises existed only as the ephemera of the conference handouts. Anything deserving to survive permanently would have increased its value by being published in better company elsewhere. PETER MANNING
(Halifax, N.S., Canada)
NATURE
OF HUMAN
BEHAVIOUR
The Nature of Human Behauiour. Giinter Altner (Editor). Translated from German (Kreatur Mensch) by Ch. van Amerongen. George Allen and Unwin Ltd., London, 1976, 467 pp., ISBN 0-04-573012-l. For several reasons, I have been disappointed by the reading of “The Nature of Human Behaviour”, edited by G. Altner. The content does not correspond to what is expected from the very ambitious title. About one third of the book is devoted to basic biology. The corresponding pages could have been written for a conventional high school text book, without any specific reference to human behaviour. Moreover, I am not sure that the term behaviour has the same meaning for all the contributors. This ‘new’ book is in fact an old one. It was first published in German by Heinz Moos Verlag, Munich, 1969, and it was translated thereafter into English. There is one interesting chapter in this book (on war and peace in animals and men), written by Niko Tinbergen, but it has been published already, in 1968, by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Apparently, this edition has not been updated. In other words, recent advances in the field are not taken into account. Additional comments are not needed. ALAIN
REINBERG
(Paris, France)
DYNAMICS
OF BEHAVIOUR
DEVELOPMENT
The Dynamics of Behaviour Development. An Epigenetic View. Zing-Yang Kuo (ed. by G. Gottlieb). Plenum Press, New York, N.Y., London, 1976, 237 pp., US$ 14.34, $ 7.53. Kuo is one of those shadowed figures known to have had an influence upon the development of animal behaviour studies but whose precise role has been
189
lost in the gloom. Those few who can claim to have ever caught him in the beam of their lights more often than not saw only cats reared with rats -the most dramatic and probably least significant of Kuo’s studies. This re-issue of his essay on behaviour development is as eminently readable, and as topical today (and as controversial) as when it first appeared, over a decade ago. Indeed, its relevance to the great debate on sociobiology enhances its importance. Whether one agrees with Kuo or not, his extreme operationalism - he is the ‘Wittgenstein of ethology’ - must be addressed if it is not accepted. Gottlieb has added to this edition a brief biography and traced the influence Kuo has had upon American psychology. This addendum alone justifies replacing the original edition: one’s appreciation for the challenges Kuo presents one’s preconceptions can only be enhanced by the knowledge of his odyssey in China and the U.S. In sum, this is a re-issue well worth reading. P.H. KLOPFER (Durham, N.C., EVOLUTION
OF PLAY
U.S.A.)
BEHAVIOUR
Evolution of Play Behauiour. D. Miiller-Schwarze (Editor). Benchmark papers. Academic Press, Inc., Wash., D.C., 1978, 396 pp., US$ 32.00, ISBN O-87-933-272-7. The Benchmark series represents a compilation of major articles which overworked students will certainly appreciate. The possibility that topically organized anthologies may generate a reluctance to undertake literature searches, or may cause the undervaluation of articles not selected by the editor, is not to be taken as a criticism. It is to be taken as a warning, however, to potential users of this volume. Miiller-Schwarze has performed a useful and probably thankless task in selecting the papers included in his volume. His introductory remarks, regrettably, add little but a superficial description of what is to follow. One wishes he had used this opportunity to develop and share his own thoughts on the subject - of all the authors included, few are as knowledgable on play, nor have demonstrated more critical acumen than Miiller-Schwarze. At least he did include an article of his own! But as to caveats: students, more work on play has appeared since this book appeared - don’t abandon the current journals shelf. The newer work is far more sophisticated and imaginative in scope than what has gone before. Nor can you neglect searches: Miiller-Schwarze’s volume doesn’t include all the “Benchmark” papers - the work of G. Bateson, for instance, is conspicuously absent. The major critique of this volume must be directed at the publisher. Granted that reproducing the original type-faces is less costly than a uniform (new)
It is a pity that this publication was not suppressed so that much of the material it comprises existed only as the ephemera of the conference handouts. Anything deserving to survive permanently would have increased its value by being published in better company elsewhere. PETER MANNING
(Halifax, N.S., Canada)
NATURE
OF HUMAN
BEHAVIOUR
The Nature of Human Behauiour. Giinter Altner (Editor). Translated from German (Kreatur Mensch) by Ch. van Amerongen. George Allen and Unwin Ltd., London, 1976, 467 pp., ISBN 0-04-573012-l. For several reasons, I have been disappointed by the reading of “The Nature of Human Behaviour”, edited by G. Altner. The content does not correspond to what is expected from the very ambitious title. About one third of the book is devoted to basic biology. The corresponding pages could have been written for a conventional high school text book, without any specific reference to human behaviour. Moreover, I am not sure that the term behaviour has the same meaning for all the contributors. This ‘new’ book is in fact an old one. It was first published in German by Heinz Moos Verlag, Munich, 1969, and it was translated thereafter into English. There is one interesting chapter in this book (on war and peace in animals and men), written by Niko Tinbergen, but it has been published already, in 1968, by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Apparently, this edition has not been updated. In other words, recent advances in the field are not taken into account. Additional comments are not needed. ALAIN
REINBERG
(Paris, France)
DYNAMICS
OF BEHAVIOUR
DEVELOPMENT
The Dynamics of Behaviour Development. An Epigenetic View. Zing-Yang Kuo (ed. by G. Gottlieb). Plenum Press, New York, N.Y., London, 1976, 237 pp., US$ 14.34, $ 7.53. Kuo is one of those shadowed figures known to have had an influence upon the development of animal behaviour studies but whose precise role has been
189
lost in the gloom. Those few who can claim to have ever caught him in the beam of their lights more often than not saw only cats reared with rats -the most dramatic and probably least significant of Kuo’s studies. This re-issue of his essay on behaviour development is as eminently readable, and as topical today (and as controversial) as when it first appeared, over a decade ago. Indeed, its relevance to the great debate on sociobiology enhances its importance. Whether one agrees with Kuo or not, his extreme operationalism - he is the ‘Wittgenstein of ethology’ - must be addressed if it is not accepted. Gottlieb has added to this edition a brief biography and traced the influence Kuo has had upon American psychology. This addendum alone justifies replacing the original edition: one’s appreciation for the challenges Kuo presents one’s preconceptions can only be enhanced by the knowledge of his odyssey in China and the U.S. In sum, this is a re-issue well worth reading. P.H. KLOPFER (Durham, N.C., EVOLUTION
OF PLAY
U.S.A.)
BEHAVIOUR
Evolution of Play Behauiour. D. Miiller-Schwarze (Editor). Benchmark papers. Academic Press, Inc., Wash., D.C., 1978, 396 pp., US$ 32.00, ISBN O-87-933-272-7. The Benchmark series represents a compilation of major articles which overworked students will certainly appreciate. The possibility that topically organized anthologies may generate a reluctance to undertake literature searches, or may cause the undervaluation of articles not selected by the editor, is not to be taken as a criticism. It is to be taken as a warning, however, to potential users of this volume. Miiller-Schwarze has performed a useful and probably thankless task in selecting the papers included in his volume. His introductory remarks, regrettably, add little but a superficial description of what is to follow. One wishes he had used this opportunity to develop and share his own thoughts on the subject - of all the authors included, few are as knowledgable on play, nor have demonstrated more critical acumen than Miiller-Schwarze. At least he did include an article of his own! But as to caveats: students, more work on play has appeared since this book appeared - don’t abandon the current journals shelf. The newer work is far more sophisticated and imaginative in scope than what has gone before. Nor can you neglect searches: Miiller-Schwarze’s volume doesn’t include all the “Benchmark” papers - the work of G. Bateson, for instance, is conspicuously absent. The major critique of this volume must be directed at the publisher. Granted that reproducing the original type-faces is less costly than a uniform (new)