I think your point at the end is incredibly important. How can we be certain that the insights, valuable as they appear to be, are valid for free-ranging primates? How can we avoid the contingencies of captivity? Even if we could, I still feel it is wrong, simply unethical to take these animals and put them in cages so that we can study them. How can de Waal write a book about ethics, and empathy, and compassion, based on an act that is in and of itself, morally wrong?
I think your point at the end is incredibly important. How can we be certain that the insights, valuable as they appear to be, are valid for free-ranging primates? How can we avoid the contingencies of captivity? Even if we could, I still feel it is wrong, simply unethical to take these animals and put them in cages so that we can study them. How can de Waal write a book about ethics, and empathy, and compassion, based on an act that is in and of itself, morally wrong?