Natural history was the scientific approach used in early primate field studies and through the 1960s. After that, natural history fell out of favor, considered either bad science or not science at all. In my plenary talk at the 2018 IPS Congress in Nairobi, I argued that primate science once again needs natural history. Here, I reprise that argument, illustrating the long and tortuous route that took me to this conclusion. I use information on wild baboons (Papio anubis) from my 47-year field study in Kenya to support my claims. I then explain the historical and current reasons why science, including primate science, needs natural history, particularly in the Anthropocene.

中文翻译：

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为什么自然历史对（灵长类）科学很重要：狒狒案例研究

自然历史是早期灵长类动物实地研究和 1960 年代使用的科学方法。在那之后，自然史失宠，被认为要么是坏科学，要么根本就不是科学。在我在内罗毕 2018 年 IPS 大会的全体会议上，我认为灵长类科学再次需要自然历史。在这里，我重申了这个论点，说明了使我得出这个结论的漫长而曲折的道路。我使用我在肯尼亚 47 年的实地研究中关于野生狒狒（Papio anubis）的信息来支持我的主张。然后，我解释了科学，包括灵长类科学，需要自然历史的历史和当前原因，尤其是在人类世。