Everything about Desmond Morris totally explained
Desmond John Morris (born
24 January 1928 in the village of
Purton, north
Wiltshire,
UK) is most famous for his work as a
zoologist and
ethologist, but is also known as a
surrealist artist and
author.
Early life and career
He was educated at
Dauntsey's School, an
independent school in
West Lavington,
Wiltshire. After military service, he attended the
University of Birmingham where he graduated in 1951 with a First Class Honours Degree in
Zoology. In 1954, he was awarded a
D.Phil. from
Oxford University for his doctoral thesis on the
Reproductive Behaviour of the Ten-spined Stickleback, supervised by
Niko Tinbergen. He then was employed by the
Zoological Society of London as Curator of Mammals at the
London Zoo, which he left in 1966 in frustration about stagnation at the zoo.
Writer and broadcaster
He first came to public attention in the 1950s as a presenter of the
ITV television programme
Zoo Time, but achieved world-wide fame in 1967 with his book "
The Naked Ape". The book is an unabashed look at the human species; notable for its focus on humanity's animal-like qualities and our similarity with apes, and for explaining human behaviour as largely
evolved to meet the challenges of prehistoric life as a
hunter-gatherer. Reprinted many times and in many languages, it continues to be a best-seller.
His later studies, books and television shows have continued this focus on human behaviour, explained from a bluntly zoological point of view. This approach itself, and his specific conclusions, have often attracted controversy.
Morris' theories explaining elements of human behaviour via a zoological lens, in particular via natural
evolutionary mechanisms, have been attacked as incomplete, incorrect, or overly simplistic. Some explanations have also been criticised for being male-centred or supporting a
sexist view of
sexual behaviour. Some contend that his comments are often untestable, and as a result
unscientific. Religious objectors to Darwinism reject on principle the idea humans are dominated by strictly animal instincts. Nevertheless, supporters defend him for starting, or at least bringing into mainstream discussion, the approach of applying principles of animal behaviourism to explaining human behaviour.
Art
In addition to his scientific pursuits, he's an
artist in the
Surrealist tradition. Morris has exhibited with
Joan Miró and contributed significantly to the British Surrealist movement. He had his first solo show in 1948, and has shown regularly ever since.
In 1957, he curated an exhibition of
chimpanzee paintings and drawings at the
Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, including paintings by a young
chimpanzee called
Congo.
Film adviser
Dr. Morris oversaw the creation of the gestural and body language for the
Paleolithic human characters in the 1981 film
Quest for Fire.
Further Information
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