Beast or Angel?

Rene Dubos

"The world of things is different now from what it was half a century ago, but Rene Dubos doubts that there have been basic changes in life itself, in those attitudes and activities, needs, and yearning, that are the most important for happiness and suffering, for hope and despair?the differences between humanity and animality. Sophisticated and civilized as we may be, we have retained from our distant ancestors the ability to derive profound satisfaction from the small happenings of daily life. Beast or Angel? attempts to trace the origins of needs and yearnings that have always been those of humankind everywhere and always. In this search, Dubos expresses the same concerns and uses the same words when speaking of the past, the present, or the future?the reason being that the biological and psychological characteristics of humankind have remained essentially the same for at least...