Jane Goodall

Jane Goodall is an English anthropologist and considered one of the world’s most knowledgeable persons on primatology, the study of primates such as chimpanzees. Her research into the lives of wild chimpanzees uncovered that the animals were smarter than people believed, and that they used tools. In the 1970s she founded The Jane Goodall Society to protect native chimps in their habitats and brought international attention towards their protection. (1)

Goodall was born with the first name of Valerie, and her surname was hyphenated as Morris-Goodall, but she began using only Goodall when she embarked on her professional scientific career. Jane was her middle name, which she preferred using.

Born on April 3, 1934 in London, England, Jane’s zodiac sign is Aries.

Jane Goodall – Her Religion

Jane was asked in a 2010 interview if she had a belief in a higher power. “I don’t have any idea of who or what God is. But I do believe in some great spiritual power,” she answered. “I feel it particularly when I’m out in nature. It’s just something that’s bigger and stronger than what I am or what anybody is. I feel it. And it’s enough for me.” (2)

Goodall’s conviction in a greater power without it being a deity sounds like Ietsism, which is when a person has feelings that there is a higher force behind what can be observed, but don’t necessarily feel that there is a God responsible for its cause.

Ietsism is a recently developed term for this belief, originating in Denmark around 1997. The term has been rising in usage in the past ten years. (3)

Jane Goodall – Her Politics

Throughout her six decades in the media Goodall has refrained from pointing out personal critiques of politicians, instead choosing to speak in general terms of a government’s policy towards environmentalism, climate change and wildlife conservation.

When she does mention a politician it is exceedingly rare, and also in a tempered manner. Such was the case when Goodall discovered that President Trump’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, had used a quote from the scientist in Ivanka’s 2017 book Women Who Work.

The Goodall quote used in the book was:

What you do makes a difference and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.

Sources:

1: The Jane Goodall Society

2: Readers Digest interview, 2010

3: Wikipedia

4: CNN Money

Photo by Erik Hersman. Licensed under Attribution 2.0 Generic Creative Commons.

Comments

comments