Konrad Lorenz Livres

La pensée du célèbre naturaliste autrichien décédé en 1989. Il fut l'initiateur de l'éthologie, science qui étudie le comportement animal de manière comparative

Dans ce livre, paru en 1963 et devenu un classique de l'éthologie, Konrad Lorenz montre que l'agression n'a en elle-même rien de pathologique ou de " mauvais ". Elle est un "instinct" qui, comme beaucoup d'autres, aide à la survie des espèces. Et si le comportement agressif est parfois exagéré jusqu'à devenir nuisible et manquer son but, l'évolution a " inventé " des mécanismes ingénieux pour diriger cette agressivité vers des voies inoffensives. Chez l'homme, cependant, à qui manque ce dispositif de sécurité, l'instinct d'agression semble avoir dépassé son utilité depuis que les armes modernes ont multiplié les possibilités de destruction. Pour l'auteur, l'étude de la conduite des animaux nous éclaire sur les dangers qui nous guettent. En se penchant avec un humour attentif sur les mariages des oies sauvages, les combats territoriaux de certains poissons ou les inhibitions quasi morales des loups, Lorenz entraîne le lecteur vers des réflexions imprévues et toujours profondes

edited from the author's posthumous works by Agnes von Cranach"translated by Robert D. Martin""Here Am I--Where Are You?: The Behavior of the Greylag Goose" was thought to be Konrad Lorenz's last book. However, in 1991 the "Russian Manuscript" was discovered in an attic and its subsequent publication in German has become a scientific sensation. Written under the most extreme conditions in Soviet prison camps, the "Russian Manuscript" was the first outline of a large-scale work on behavioral science. This translation, meticulously edited by his daughter, Agnes von Cranach, contains a synopsis of all the ideas that made Lorenz famous as the founder of ethology, the study of comparative animal behavior.The "Russian Manuscript" was originally planned in 1944 as the first segment of an extended work when the author was Professor of Psychology in Konigsberg. After the war ended, Lorenz, then a prisoner, wrote this first part in Russian camps near Kirov and Yerevan. Later he was allowed to take the manuscript--written on paper sacks and other fragments--back to Austria, where he used it as the basis for such major publications as "Behind the Mirror: A Search for a Natural History of Human Knowledge." In 1963-64, the manuscript disappeared, much to Lorenz's distress, and was not recovered until nearly two years after his death.

Hugely controversial on publication, this is an insightful and characteristically entertaining survey of animal behaviour and the evolution of aggression throughout the animal world.

The second volume of "Lorenz: Studies in Animal and Human Behaviour" delves into the intricate connections between animal instincts and human behavior. It explores various themes related to ethology, including the influence of innate behaviors on social interactions and the evolutionary significance of these patterns. The work reflects on the pioneering research of Konrad Lorenz, providing insights into the natural world and its implications for understanding human psychology and societal dynamics.

A delightful treasury of observations and insights into the lives of all sorts of creatures, from jackdaws and water-shrews to dogs, cats and even wolves. It is a wonderfully written introduction to the world of our furred and feathered friends!