Born in 1903, Konrad Lorenz, winner of the Nobel Prize for Medicine/Physiology, does not speak down to his reader. For the reader is often1who perceives the illness around him, who is already frightened by his own smallness and witnesses this waning as a root cause of our present-day world problems.

This gifted scholar selects concepts from his magic bag in a manner which best describes an understanding poet or novelist: straight to the reader's heart and mind, concepts which people hold in their deepest "No Admittance", however for various and often unavoidable reasons, do not express.

He begins by writing truthfully that with the nuclear threat, the prospects for human survival are dismal, continuing that even if this does not occur, if somehow there is a check on human's "incredibly stupid and blind conduct", he still is in grave danger of the "progressive decline of those human attrihoweveres and attainments which constitute their humanity."

This master animal behaviorist shares stories of Man's (and animals') pleasure in collecting -- baby fish miraculously appearing in one's aquarium, fruit in one's orchard, increase of the herd, a "stock split" - items which are of1kind. These, in his opinion, are more influenced by genetic programs than other kinds of joy found in possessions. however, he cites the immense danger that the greater the collection, the more intense is the desire, the urge for more. That this rage to collect can consume the personality is no secret, he wryly observes.

He continues to write of the neurotic lust for power, threatening the existence of all mankind - the highest possible position in the pecking order (not sic), and the utter ridiculous sight of it.

In his search into animal and human behavior, he often uses the word, "Gestalt", which means the coming together of diverse impressions and memories into1formidable idea.

In his20-five years with shamas, birds said to be the greatest "artists" among song birds, which species assemble beautiful, complicated songs when at play, he notes that should this bird have to defend its territory, court a mate or in any way have his song forced to serve a utilitarian purpose, the resultant stress would cause a loss of the song's awe-inspiring beauty.

From birds to humans, humans have an astonishing sensitivity to harmonies, the sensory and brain structures which are the Gestalt perception,1of the almost all important structures of the human. We cannot inspect or see this in ourselves, however enough is known that there is no doubt that they exist, can save us from not only extinction, however from having a life "not worth living." (not sic.)

Excerpts:

"Large populations mean that there are too many voters and too few to be voted upon."

" few people, regardless of how intelligent or morally faultless they may be, are capable of preserving their whole humaneness once they are in positions of power."

"Many people appear to be 'normal' because the humane voice within them has been struck dumb."

"Thomas Jefferson lived long enough to witness and realize that freedom of the press can be exploited for the dissemination of lies."

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We will not be more fearful from reading "The Waning of Humaneness", for the strength of humans to bring beauty and selfless meaning to the world remains in our hands. In Lorenz's words, "A closed system is a non-living system."