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How long does it take to read Dark Nature?

Lyall Watson

Dark Nature by Lyall Watson takes about 5 hours 50 minutes to read at 250 words a minute.

About 5 hours 50 minutes

A weekend read

First published 1995. 318 pages, about 87,450 words.

12 days at 30 minutes a day

Estimate based on 275 words per page.

At other speeds

Slow, 150 words a minute 9 hours 43 minutes
Average, 250 words a minute 5 hours 50 minutes
Fast, 400 words a minute 3 hours 39 minutes

The page count is the median across 7 editions, so your copy may differ. How we calculate.

About the book

Biologist and naturalist Lyall Watson now brings forth a stunning exploration of the origin and nature of evil. Plotting the evolution of human evil from earth's earliest creatures to the society we have become today, in Dark Nature Watson redefines good and evil in biological terms. Drawing on the latest insights of evolutionary ethology, anthropology, and psychology, he takes a fresh look at the problems our species faces as a result of being too numerous, too greedy, and too mobile. Watson utilizes a vast array of sources, from the theories of Charles Darwin to the writings of Annie Dillard, to examine the motivations and driving forces behind evil behavior as well as the invisible order that preserves the delicate balance between "civilized" society and anarchy. Dark Nature is a groundbreaking and fascinating work that takes evil out of the realm of monsters and demons and puts it squarely back where it belongs, in nature and in our lives.

Subjects: Good and evil, Religion, Biology, Human beings, Philosophy of nature, Philosophy

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