Amazon.com
Many of us pursue fitness because we want to remain attractive to partners and potential partners, and we stay healthy so we can continue to have sex with those partners. But why do people care so much about sex? This book, written by an evolutionary biologist, explains how all the weird quirks of human sexuality came to be: sex with no intention of procreation, invisible fertility, sex acts pursued in private--all common to us, but very different from most other species. Why Is Sex Fun? asks us to look at ourselves in a brand-new way, and richly rewards us for doing so.
Book Description
In Why is Sex Fun? Jared Diamond argues that, in our evolutionary history, humans' strange sex lives were as crucial to our rise to human status as our upright posture and large brain. He explores questions such as, `Why are humans one of the few species to have sex in private? Why do human have sex any day of the month or year? Why are human females one of the only mammals to go through the menopause?' Diamond concludes that, by the standards of the world's 4,300 species, we are the ones that are bizarre.
Why is Sex Fun? is a delightfully entertaining and enlightening account of the evolutionary forces that have shaped our sex lives: of the book Diane Ackerman writes that it offers `fascinating reading for anyone curious about why lovers do what they do'.
Customer Reviews:
Get this book to finally understand the opposite sex.......2007-09-12
Are men and women basically alike, save the obvious physical differences? Absolutely not! This quick read explores the different evolutionary pressures that shape human sexuality. The "Battle of the Sexes" has evolutionary roots millions of years old. Diamond explains how each gender of a given species seeks to leave as many off-spring as possible, and how biological gender differences lead to different strategies and behavior. Diamond convincing promotes an evolutionary paradigm of human sexuality that goes quite far in explaining why men and women act the way they do. Witty and concise throughout, this book is enjoyable and illuminating.
Very good overall.......2007-07-05
There is a bit of overlap in this book with "The Third Chimpanzee," and this is to be expected. (Many of us have noticed that authors tend to cover the same points again and again.) On account of this, it loses one star.
On the good side, this book is very concise and light to read. There are almost no graphs in the book (for maximum simplicity).
The best points:
1. There wwas a good discussion of the process of going about testing a theory/ hypothesis, and though this may need to be read several times to be understood it is something that is interesting to know.
2. There were lots of neat little factoids about animals (such as elephants having 5 sets of teeth over the course of a life).
3. The questions surrouding the function of concealed ovulation were dealt with in a very easy-to-understand way that didn't bog the reader down with excessive technical details.
4. Diamond's beginnings into analyzing the male/ female division of labor were, by far, the best part of the whole book. It was sufficiently quantitative to be believable, but not so much as to be boring.
A misleading title written solely for advertising purposes.......2007-06-24
The book is a blend of "Animal Planet" and Maxim, so at times many of its theories sound more like folk tales than well researched data and at the end you feel that it lacks a clear conclusion. There are many generalizations such as: Women tend to be more responsible with their off spring because they have invested more time and resources on their creation, (ii) That there is a war of the sexes going on, as the reproductive interest of women and males is often at crossroads, as we are more promiscuous and they prefer the company of a single by very well endowed male who could provide security. That ovulation in females is hidden and they are sexually available 24/7 so that their partners will be more inclined to keep them company and not run away looking for sex somewhere else, leaving them abandoned and at peril. Each one of them could be true but at the same time is possible to point out to certain facts which could prove that the premise is wrong. For more interesting observations and analysis buy a book of Desmond Morris.
By they way the book never really tell you why sex is fun (I mean outside the fact that we all know that is fun) and why we humans like to keep it private in practically every society.
Oh, GOD! This is the most stupid book EVER........2007-04-09
How does this man actually get his work published? He is an absolute idiot. This is the most nauseating drivel, I just can't believe anyone can take this guy seriously. He should retire from writing and someone should hide his laptop just incase. Perfectly pointless.
Laughable and Questionable.......2006-10-02
Diamond spends twenty one laughable pages on male lactation. What's next? How about implanting a uterus? After all, men are stronger and could probably carry babies better.
Big game hunting by the males of indigenous tribes was probably more effective when there was more game. But, for Diamond, it leaves the question open as to "What are men good for?"
My question is "What is Jared Diamond good for?"
Book Description
David Buss updates his classic study of the origin of human mating behavior with fascinating new research.
If we all want love, why is there so much conflict in our most cherished relationships? To answer this question, says noted psychologist David Buss, we must look into our evolutionary past. Based on the most massive study of human mating ever undertaken, encompassing more than ten thousand people of all ages from thirty-seven cultures worldwide, The Evolution of Desire is the first book to present a unified theory of human mating behavior.
Now in a revised and updated edition, Buss's classic presents the latest research in the field, including startling new discoveries about the evolutionary advantages of infidelity, orgasm, and physical attractiveness.
Customer Reviews:
Trash.......2007-09-25
Yet another piece of faulty popular science. Although the author conducted a survey of amazingly great scope, he at times seems to even deliberaty ignore or contradict his own results. His only interest seems to be to pseudo-scientifically back up gross stereotypes of men and women. Don't waste your time or money!
How the evolution of mating affects your dating.......2006-12-11
Why do women use makeup? Why do men like to buy big cars? Why do people feel jealous? Evolutionary psychologist David M. Buss digs deep into the ancient past of human relationships to answer such questions, and produces intriguing results, disconcerting insights and valuable explanations. Using observations from the animal world and from many studies conducted in various societies, he provides a theoretical framework based on Darwin's theory of natural selection. Give Buss credit for elaborately fitting in almost every conceivable puzzle inherent in human mating relationships - even though this, admittedly, at times requires quite a stretch of his evolutionary theory. We recommend this "drop-dead shocker" (The Washington Post Book World) to anyone who has ever searched for, attracted, kept or separated from a mate - that is, anyone who is strong enough to face the unromantic truth.
Evolution of desire........2006-06-19
The author does a superb job tracking down the evolution of desire via a plethora of studies, including some conducted by the author and his colleagues. Though it's true that evolution has granted us certain "sexual strategies", psychologically we are more complex mentally than hunters and gathers. The book reads exactly as the title suggest. The author never dabbles into behavioral psychology to explain anything left unexplained by evolutionary psychology. You may catch yourself arguing with the book, trying to explain human motives through behavioral psychology. A major pet peeve for me is I often find the author repeating statements, especially in the later chapters.
Provocative..........2006-04-09
I gave this book a 5 rating because it is provocative and challenges a lot of society's assumptions about sexual behavior. While I realize the book has some shortcomings, it does shed a lot of light on human mating strategy.
I thought the author's notion of long term and short term mating strategies in both sexes was fascinating. It makes logical sense and it seemed to make sense with my experience of people in American culture. I also found the examples and references he used to back up his arguments interesting.
While this isn't a perfect book from a research perspective, it is excellent for what it is... a trade paperback written for a general audience. I recommend it to anyone who wants a deeper understanding of human sexual behavior.
Also... a lot of the information in this book is redundant with the content in the same author's book on jealousy. You may want to get one or the other first and get the other one later depending upon how big a fan you are of his approach to these topics.
Very good.......2006-03-25
A deep dive in human mating process. We can follow the author in every aspect of men and women behaviour toward relationships.
Amazon.com
This book sets out to explore why and when people evolved so far away from other mammals in several key ways, all of which Dr. Shlain ties to the biological differences between men and women. As in his excellent prior work The Alphabet Versus the Goddess: The Conflict Between Word and Image (which holds that there are links between the ascendancy of patriarchy and written language and the descent of matriarchal societies and goddess-based religions), some of the concepts proposed in this book might seem a bit of a stretch. And they are—whether or not they turn out to be factual. Shlain contends, for instance, that women essentially invented the concept of time due to their experience of menses. Whatever conclusions the reader comes to, the author exposes the underlying gender biases in so many scientific assumptions; the result is one of those books that cannot help but alter one's perceptions. A consistently engaging writer, Shlain traces the course of his own evolving ideas with what might be called a didactic wit: bold statements are first writ large, then Dr. Shlain reveals how he came upon them, frequently with colorful anecdotes that show these are questions he's been wrestling with for many years. It's difficult to tell whether this fascinating thinker will be viewed as the next Darwin or as a crank, but there's no denying this is an audacious work in the realm of evolutionary biology. --Mike McGonigal
Book Description
As in the bestselling The Alphabet Versus the Goddess, Leonard Shlain's provocative new book promises to change the way readers view themselves and where they came from. Sex, Time, and Power offers a tantalizing answer to an age-old question: Why did big-brained Homo sapiens suddenly emerge some 150,000 years ago? The key, according to Shlain, is female sexuality. Drawing on an awesome breadth of research, he shows how, long ago, the narrowness of the newly bipedal human female's pelvis and the increasing size of infants' heads precipitated a crisis for the species. Natural selection allowed for the adaptation of the human female to this environmental stress by reconfiguring her hormonal cycles, entraining them with the periodicity of the moon. The results, however, did much more than ensure our existence; they imbued women with the concept of time, and gave them control over sex—a power that males sought to reclaim. And the possibility of achieving immortality through heirs drove men to construct patriarchal cultures that went on to dominate so much of human history. From the nature of courtship to the evolution of language, Shlain's brilliant and wide-ranging exploration stimulates new thinking about very old matters.
Customer Reviews:
one of those best sellers that was intended as such.......2007-09-14
I heard about this book from an interview with Shlain on NPR. The ideas he presents are compelling, but in places his arguments lack true depth. As a result, I was left feeling like I should not have bothered to buy the book and should have just been satisfied with listening to the interview, which gave me adequate exposure to the ideas. The book did not go beyond that. It provided only exposure to a wide range of ideas. Exploring the bibliography would obviously lead to the depth I desired, but after 400 pages of looking for it in Shlain's writing itself, I couldn't help but feel disappointed. His style was a bit too flowery and a bit too crowd-pleasing.
Innovative thinking for our time.......2007-05-22
I believe that to arrive at the correct answers, one needs to be asking the correct questions.
It is Shlain's ability to ask questions about how we have arrived at this time and place which inspires some out-of-the-box thinking and ideas.
I enjoyed his thought process immensely.
I recommend the book for any thinking person.
Starts out OK but then devolves into mistaken fantasy.......2007-04-27
Shlain is a quite knowledgable physiologist and has several interesting observations to make about the subject, especially with regard to iron metabolism and some perplexing aspects he's noted relating to humans versus other animals. This material occupies roughly the first third or 40% of the book, and it's worth reading. Interesting stuff, and potentially very important in piecing together how human evolution went.
The problems arise when the author then seeks to do this by applying evolutionary principles in building a model of how these physiological properties came about. In short, his understanding of evolution seems quite dated and just plain inapplicable -- one is tempted to be harsh and use words like 'rudimentary' or 'amateurish'. Specifically, he keeps referring to *group* selection, using terminology such as "what's good for the species", mixing it up with the more currently accepted idea that selection takes place almost exclusively at the level of the individual or its closer kin. His use of questionable concepts in the situation he's trying to come to grips with thus make his conclusions questionable (at best), and all the more so because he doesn't seem aware of his error/confusion, and thus he proceeds both boldy and blindly. He really would have benefited from teaming up with someone well-grounded in how evolution is really thought to work.
Shlain then compounds the error in the last third of the book or so by trying to create a complete scenario of human social evolution from the dim past (50-100 thousand years ago?) up through to about the invention of the first primitive nation states, but again uses grating pseudo-evolutionary sounding language about what "mother nature wants", with yet more appeals to what's good for the human species, while often confusing things by using specific hypothetical individuals as test particles in his thought experiments. I didn't find hardly any of this believable in the least, and since it's based on faulty evolutionary thinking it's almost certainly entirely wrong. Too bad, because the gloss of scientific and evolutionary credibility will cause many to take this part of the book as some definitive exposition on how it really was and draw unwarranted conclusions about human nature. One would love to see this book done right. 2 1/2 to 3 stars.
Who knew a steak was so important?.......2007-04-20
Dr. Schlain has brought to our attention the key role of iron for women, not only for nutriton and survival, but for courtship and commitment. I think Mother Nature is entirely capricious to make we women so dependent on men to provide steaks to get our attention. In a more serious vein, I am impressed with Dr. Schlain's grasp of history, prehistory, anthropology, sociology, and all the other ologies that make us what we are. I will never take my various systems for granted again. And now I understand how I used to become easy prey for the men who took me to dinner and wooed me with a steak (and wine). Thanks, Dr. Schlain.
Leonard Schlain : a Panoramic Thinker .......2007-03-09
Leonard Schlain is a creative and panoramic thinker: very like a multi-tasking woman who must focus in the moment and simultaneously "see" the past and future. He's ingeniously woven the story around the facts into what perhaps is our best guess yet, about our evolutionary underpinnings. Schlain's a genre of his own, who has mentally freed us up from a scanty and overly focussed scientific box. This medical man is comfortable that the scientist affects the experiment. Read it. ~ Elena Dolan
Amazon.com
"Many people have sex in mind a great deal of the time." Authors Malcolm Potts and Roger Short spent more than 15 years trying to understand and explain these passions. While not fully embracing biological determinism--that destiny is simply written in the genes--Potts and Short believe that evolutionary biology can help explain human behavior. In this book they focus on milestones in life's cycle, such as love, marriage, sex, pregnancy, birth, parenting, divorce, and death. Each of these complex behaviors is studied in turn and analyzed for its biological foundations and centuries of cultural modifications. Nearly 100 illustrations lend support to the authors' theories, and dozens of fascinating sidebars go into greater depth about everything from Siamese twins and cloning to wet-nursing and Viagra.
The book is not without its flaws: the authors' belief that most behaviors are biologically based leads them to make sexist conclusions at times--for example, they argue that a woman's interest in sports must primarily stem from a desire to please her man. They also maintain that evolutionary biology can suggest solutions to some of our most difficult problems, without suggesting what these solutions (or, indeed, problems) may be. That said, the authors do an excellent job of teasing out the twisted strands of nature and nurture that make us who we are. Though scholars may find the lack of footnotes frustrating, Ever Since Adam and Eve will pique the interest of educated readers. --C.B. Delaney
Book Description
Eminent scientists Malcolm Potts and Roger Short view the broad panorama of human sexual and reproductive behaviour to reveal an inextricable mixture of nature and nurture - a combination of innate actions which have evolved over the millennia to adapt us to a nomadic, hunter-gatherer lifestyle, overlain by more recent cultural constraints imposed by civilization. For each of life’s milestones - sexual intercourse, conception, pregnancy, birth, puberty, love, marriage, parenting, menopause and death - they describe the biology behind our actions and consider how pressures imposed by various historical and contemporary cultures have further influenced our behaviour. By looking back at the past they attempt to make sense of the present, to see how and why these cultural modifications arose, how they have contributed to the richness of human sexual behaviour, and what our biological and cultural inheritance can teach us about safeguarding the continuation of our species.
Customer Reviews:
Ever Since Adam and Eve.......2000-03-20
This book is a MUST for anyone who considers themselves an unbiassed thinker. If only there were a text like this when I was in college. It will appeal to anyone interested in anthropology, sociology and/or zoology. You don't have to agree with the arguments of the authors as they are the flavour enhancers of the proverbial "food for thought". The beauty of this book is it's personal affect of invading your waking and sleeping hours with questions. Wonderfully stimulating, the best thing I have read in AGES. What a legacy.
A great Outlook on sexual inhabitions and what drives them!.......1999-08-26
This book was written by my uncle who has always been an inspiration in my life. This book is just another extension of his Greatness! Malcolm Potts takes his work very seriously. I know that this book will and has already made changes in my life as far as human sexuality goes. It will make me take my sexual desires and actions to a new and much safer level.
veryprovacative,justone of thosebooksthathasrealityalloverit.......1999-08-03
the book was very touching.it made feel as if iwas far away from God, and it made me realize how far my relationship with God really was, and i'm just glad that Malcolm Potts and Roger Short brought me back to reality...
Stunning summary of the human condition from then to now.......1999-07-13
Of course there is nothing new under the sun...or is there? Better read this often funny, frequently irreverent book with remarkable sexual pictures and graphics. New syntheses must draw on past information. Like any masterpiece, these authors took lifetimes to acquire and understand the knowledge they now offer us in this complex, yet easy to read scientific recitation of human and other sexual histories. The book tells you about our evolutionary hsitory, that we are indeed descended from earlier animals and even earlier forms of life. They document that the main evolutionary drive for humans and mammals generally has been and is SEX, for the key to our existence is the need to produce the BEST next generation. For many this book will prove an epiphany of understanding, a creation of more reverence for life, but one not based on the mythology of religion, but on the clear facts of science. Don't miss it.
well written cultural anthroplogy.......1999-05-24
Two internationally recognized authors have provided us with a sparkling volume; informative and engaging. Several lay friends have read my copy, and shared it with their families.
Book Description
Referring to Lewis Carroll's Red Queen from Through the Looking-Glass, a character who has to keep running to stay in the same place, Matt Ridley demonstrates why sex is humanity's best strategy for outwitting its constantly mutating internal predators. The Red Queen answers dozens of other riddles of human nature and culture -- including why men propose marriage, the method behind our maddening notions of beauty, and the disquieting fact that a woman is more likely to conceive a child by an adulterous lover than by her husband. Brilliantly written, The Red Queen offers an extraordinary new way of interpreting the human condition and how it has evolved.
Customer Reviews:
Great Book.......2007-03-27
I can't add very much to the excellent reviews already posted. I'll just say quickly that I enjoyed very much the fresh insight into mating practices among the "lower animals" and among humans. I've read a lot about evolution and biology and so forth, and still found much new material here. I really enjoyed learning about how scientists finally discovered the rampant adultery among birds and how incredible they are at hiding it.
Several reviewers warn about having to "make it through" the first part, and I certainly understand that if your primary interest is in the evolutionary origins of human sexuality. However, I really enjoyed the first part as well, because it provides a broad understanding of sex in evolution and give lots of fun examples about different behaviors and adaptations.
Although I didn't give the book 5 stars (I reserve that for the best of the best), it showed me that Mr. Ridley is a great writer and I'll check out his other books (I think I'll start with Genome).
Worth slogging through Part 1 to get to Part 2.......2007-01-30
Some of the ideas expressed in The Red Queen are brilliant, and their applicability to the nature of human sexuality are quite interesting. However, Ridley's very methodical approach to categorizing and cataloging the varieties during the first 120-150 pages can be painfully slow.
Once Part II kicked in, I was glad I persevered. After the first part apparently sets the stage for some descriptions related to human beings, I found myself unable to put the book down during second half. No need to add on to what has been written by others, but if I had to do it again, I definitely would have skimmed Part 1.
Still worth the effort and quite a conversation piece. In the month since I finished, I find I bring it up in casual conversation regularly, and even during the course of book club conversations about male and female perspectives to similar actions, perceptions, or mating rituals. Definitely recommended!
So interesting..........2006-12-14
I remember flying on an airplane 6 years ago and having the stranger sitting next to me highly recommend this book. It ended up taking me three years before I finally obtained a copy!
This book is phenomenal. Starting from the first organisms on the planet and building up to modern day human beings, this book gives a detailed account of evolution and covers numerous theories, supported in great detail, as to how humans are they way we are.
The only reason this book gets 4 stars from me is because it is written in text book language and it can be hard to follow at some points. But stick with it - the end of the book is where most of the interesting points emerge.
The implications to the future human civilization are staggering.......2006-11-10
Science writer Matt Ridley's book "The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature" is outstanding. I have read at least 20 other books by various authors on this subject, and yet Ridley's book contains a vast amount of original work and brilliant viewpoints.
His language is accessible, witty, and moving. His explanations and arguments are well researched, and elegantly written.
Ridley takes you on a journey, for those willing, into nature's infinite world of sexual evolution using existing species as examples. You'll end up realizing how constricted our society is in relation to our nature. The book opened my mind to how diverse our society can be, and how we limit and restrict ourselves. I find this book to be one of his best works.
Experts in every field of living systems should read this book, the implications are staggering. Although written entirely from a biological / genetic / nature point of view, anyone could use the material to develop an improved system. For example, improved political systems, draft laws that make sense, market products more successfully, understand the criminal mind-set, raise children better, better discern the cause of war and violence, etc.
In a nut-shell, if you want to understand the infinite possibility of human potential, this book gives you the "theory of operation" and should be considered the bible on how central sexuality is to the nature of humankind and our modern civilization.
Too serious / intense - Not for casual reading.......2006-11-06
This is interesting only if you want to do a very detailed study on Sex and Evolution of Human Nature. Not something I would recommend if you are just looking for some dating techniques or How to....type suggestions.
Amazon.com
Evolutionary psychology has been called the "new black" of science fashion, though at its most controversial, it more resembles the emperor's new clothes. Geoffrey Miller is one of the Young Turks trying to give the phenomenon a better spin. In The Mating Mind, he takes Darwin's "other" evolutionary theory--of sexual rather than natural selection--and uses it to build a theory about how the human mind has developed the sophistication of a peacock's tail to encourage sexual choice and the refining of art, morality, music, and literature.
Where many evolutionary psychologists see the mind as a Swiss army knife, and cognitive science sees it as a computer, Miller compares it to an entertainment system, evolved to stimulate other brains. Taking up the baton from studies such as Richard Dawkins' The Selfish Gene, it's a dizzyingly ambitious project, which would be impossibly vague without the ingenuity and irreverence that Miller brings to bear on it. Steeped in popular culture, the book mixes theories of runaway selection, fitness indicators, and sensory bias with explanations of why men tip more than women and how female choice shaped (quite literally) the penis. It also extols the sagacity of Mary Poppins. Indeed, Miller allows ideas to cascade at such a torrent that the steam given off can run the risk of being mistaken for hot air).
That large personalities can be as sexually enticing as oversize breasts or biceps may indeed prove comforting, but denuding sexual chemistry can be a curiously unsexy business, akin to analyzing humor. As a courting display of Miller's intellectual plumage, though, The Mating Mind is formidable, its agent-provocateur chest swelled with ideas and articulate conjecture. While occasionally his magpie instinct may loot fool's gold, overall it provides an accessible and attractive insight into modern Darwinism and the survival of the sexiest. --David Vincent, Amazon.co.uk
Book Description
At once a pioneering study of evolution and an accessible and lively reading experience,
The Mating Mind marks the arrival of a prescient and provocative new science writer. Psychologist Geoffrey Miller offers the most convincing–and radical–explanation for how and why the human mind evolved.
Consciousness, morality, creativity, language, and art: these are the traits that make us human. Scientists have traditionally explained these qualities as merely a side effect of surplus brain size, but Miller argues that they were sexual attractors, not side effects. He bases his argument on Darwin’s theory of sexual selection, which until now has played second fiddle to Darwin’s theory of natural selection, and draws on ideas and research from a wide range of fields, including psychology, economics, history, and pop culture. Witty, powerfully argued, and continually thought-provoking,
The Mating Mind is a landmark in our understanding of our own species.
Customer Reviews:
My mind will never see itself in the same way again!.......2007-06-22
This book was a very enjoyable read, both for the ideas it proposed and for the personality of the author.
What impressed me the most about the author was his willingness to explore aspects of reality that, by their basic nature, cannot be seen or probed with scientific instruments. What do I mean? Well, I am strongly of the persuasion that consideration of the internal, subjective experiences of living organisms is completely inseparable from any scientific understanding of life, and that this persuasion is sorely lacking from the worldview of most scientists. This matters less, if at all, for fields such as particle physics, but for a field such as evolutionary psychology it is crucial.
To ignore the inner experiences of our ancestors... their desires, their passions, their religious beliefs, their inexplicable aesthetic tastes... and focus merely on the biological, or the cartesian processes of natural selection, or tribal cohesion or whatever, is to utterly cripple the entire endeavor. Natural selection, while very powerful, is also very limited - this seems incredibly obvious to me, but for some reason is not incredibly obvious to most evolutionary psychologists.
Geoffrey Miller, in fortunate contrast to the majority of his colleagues, actually has a soul. As long as one does not deviate from a scientific approach to knowledge, there is (I contend) simply no reason to put any absolute limit whatsoever on the depths to which one attempts to unravel the interior dimensions of the human experience. In this regard Mr. Miller goes laudably deeper than most scientists, and as a result his book contains many very original ideas that are very, very satisfying to witness integrated with evolutionary psychology. I find it difficult to believe that any human being with a calm approach to knowledge and an interest in the origins and nature of our species could fail to find this book fascinating.
The only possible shortfall of the book is it's prose. This is something for which I have no actual complaint - Mr. Miller's writing is quite clear, indisputably lucid, and at times very imaginative - it's just that I have a personal appetite for metaphors, figurative speech, and philosophical tangents that exceed normal levels. Mr. Miller, being a professional scientist rather than a professional author, didn't leave me fully satisfied on this level. To his credit, however, the book contains a parody of Carl Sagan that had me almost rolling on the floor with laughter!
In short, while this book didn't quite send my divine, intangible essence up rocketing through the azure firmament in an ecstatic convergence of infinite cosmic forces regurgitated by the Great Wug, an experience that in it's supreme form is comparable to a burrito achieving self-transcendance in a microwave, it was nonetheless very, very good. I recommend it to all incurably curious people who are also occasionally fascinated by the many ways the universe works.
Every marriage counselor should have a copy.......2007-03-12
Although this book doesn't directly deal with marital problems per se, reading it helps to gain understanding of both what is, and what is NOT particularly "natural" in man-woman relations (mating behavior).
As other reviewers have indicated, the main thrust of the book is to chronicle the thinking of evolutionary scientists as to the nature of non-directly survival oriented selection, i.e. selection outside the realm of the conventional "natural selection" of traits needed to survive to reproductive age. For this purpose, traits that may indicate overall offspring strength and health tend to be sexually selected for, based on the traits' difficulty to fake and conspicuous costliness. For example if a peacock can be so strong as to survive with such a heavy colorful predator attracting tail, well, he surely must be a strong peacock and, as such, quite sexy. The analog to the peacock tail for humans is, in general, extensive human intelligence.
But beyond detailing the various theses of sexual selection and its related evolutionary processes, the book also covers mating behavior of pre-civilization (Pleistocene) humans. Furthermore it notes that the amount of time civilization has existed, measured in reproductive generations, is so small that hardly an iota of genetic difference exists between civilized humans and pre-Neolithic hunter gatherers. (Some of the latter are still in existence today.) As such there can be no doubt that our basic genetic human nature is that of the hunter gatherer. Moreover, there is a material consistency in sexual/mating behavior of hunter gatherers, behavior that could be described as "natural". It's not prostitution, at least to the extent that hunter gatherers don't have/use money. It's not polygamy, this appearing as a kind of corollary to skewed distributions of power and wealth that occur in civilization. And finally it's not ultra long-term monogamy (marriage), also an outcome of civilization invented to deal with legal and economic matters concerning property, inheritance, education in child rearing, etc. Nope. The "natural", hunter gatherer way is described in the book a something akin to "serial monogamy", which across diverse hunter gatherer societies yields quite consistent observation of fairly strong temporary monogamous bonds, at least through to pregnancy. Such bonds may even extend through child birth and early baby care, but little continues after that. Half siblings and multiple lifetime lovers are more the rules than the exceptions.
With this sort of knowledge and understanding of both the evolutionary purpose and the more natural norms of human mating behavior, it seems possible that marriage counselors and their clients might be better prepared to come up with more apt solutions to marital difficulties. And I also suspect there's an important policy implication from this book for social and legal planners: invent renewable, one to five year term marriages.
Some Credibility Checks On An Active Imagination.......2006-12-18
This young, obviously learned author has really "pushed the envelope" with his radically reductive explanations of human nature, and human behavior. Perhaps the time is ripe for an astute application of Sir Karl Popper's "falsifiability criterion," in order to restore some balance to an otherwise very creative account; for while creativity and imagination are essential to the advancement of science (or any other human endeavor), so is rigor. On the humorous side, I don't recommend that "dashing young suitors" share the underlying philosophy of human beings contained in this book with their favorite girlfriend--even if they privately believe it. Otherwise, they may find themselves "standing in the rain" and, literally, out of the gene pool. The "Queen of Hearts" can surely see and will usually prefer a heart in her "Gentleman." And it's still true that the heart knows things that reason (or scientistic materialism) knows nothing about (Blaise Pascal).
Not Bad.......2006-06-13
Although I'm not too fond of evolutionary psychology (EP), simply because at the moment we can easily explain any psychological characteristic either socially, naturally, or both (each with convincing, but not concrete support), Miller's analysis of sexual selection is at times very intriguing. In particular, his explanation of sexual selections contribution to male/female ornamentation is very compelling.
However, other than that I found his arguments for the creativity and social characteristics of human culture overlook the power of socialization by maintaining that ALL our non-sexual behaviors are in fact side-effects of our ancestors' sexual behavior. Although very convincing while reading it, you should be aware that EP only attributes all behavior as being dictated by genetics because we have no other advanced culture to compare it to. Throughout the book, Miller avoids holes in his theory by dismissing those whose behaviors don't comply with it as anomalies (for example, people who are celibate). However, these are exactly what he needs to address, not because they're a rarity, but because they display the power of the opposing force he's neglecting: Nurture.
With all that being said, I still would have given it four stars for Miller's excellent account of the possibilities of sexual selection. He emphasized it more as a significant evolutionary force than any other book I've come across. However, he often had a tendency to ramble, and exhaust his analogies. When it finished, I'd been saying "enough" for about 150 pages.
It's all about understanding.......2006-06-05
Only a true scientist could have written a book like this one. Someone who is knowledgeable enough to know the facts, brilliant enough to come up with a sound theory and courageous enough to stand up for it, even though it follows the lines not very popular for the last century.
As it turns out to be, Darwin's theory had two halves to it, the one about natural selection and the one about sexual selection. To be evolutionary successful, to pass its genes further in time, not only the creature has to survive (this is where natural selection plays), but also to participate in sex, to give birth to a child, and this is the realm of sexual selection. But for various (mostly unscientifical) reasons, the bigger and more important sexual selection half has been neglected by other scientists of the time.
As soon as you are attractive to the other sex - you are fit for evolutionary success, and you develop traits necessary for that fitness demonstration. Simple and clear. The book applies those evolutionary ideas to everything human. Applying the theory to every imaginable aspect of human nature, the author nevertheless notes:
"My sexual choice theory sometimes sounds as if it could explain anything, and hence explains nothing. [...] Indeed, one goal of this book is to inspire other scientists to join me in testing these ideas."
The first half of the book takes formal approach to the principles behind the theory and refers to and grounds on works on many other respectable scientists.
Then the author shows the power and applicability of the theory in many aspects, detailed discussion of each could take a book in itself. The second half of the book consists of small chapters, each touching different aspect of human nature and behaviour. "Life Stories", "Creativity And Intelligence", "Apathy as the Evolutionary Norm", and so on. Enough ideas for a lifetime.
I'm neither a psychologist, nor a biologist, but as a mathematician I greatly appreciate the logic in scientific arguments, even though I might not be in position of verifying all the citations. And the author's logic in this book is impeccable. Of course, as everything else, it has its weak spots and assumptions impossible to ever verify, but whenever this happens, the author points right to it instead of hiding behind words like "it's obvious" or "every highly moral human would understand".
To me, Mr. Miller's theory was a real mind blower. It simply explains a lot of things I see around. Things that I have long thought about, things that bugged me, his theory clearly explains. And it does so without straining - that's what makes me believe it's true - it has no shortcuts, everything is very simple and clear and coherent with the observable facts.
If you want to read this book you have to let go of all the prejudices you might have. Accept that the "civilization" we normally associate with "humanity", is no more than a tiny glitch on an endless timescale of evolution. Remember the diversity even of existing peoples and don't just think that those who don't believe in Christ are weirdos. Admit that the rules by which people evolve did not change, and I don't mean "since invention of {your favourite feature you associate with civilization success}" but for million years. Forget your complexes and fobias. Forget everything TV and movies have inserted into you. The hardest things to admit are your own biases and beliefs. Here is one other quote which displays the virtue of this work:
"Moral philosophers consider only a tiny fraction of human virtues and moral judgements worthy of analysis. But scientists must consider them all."
To conclude, note that this is a book about understanding. It's not about defying morality or norms of society, it's about knowing how it works. To quote:
"the sexual choice theory is ambitious in trying to offer some new theoretical foundations for understanding human culture."
Amazing book, amazing work of science, amazingly thought out and written, with clear language and unique sense of humour.
Average customer rating:
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Sex Differences: Developmental and Evolutionary Strategies
Linda Mealey
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Similar Items:
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Female of the Species
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Sex on the Brain: The Biological Differences Between Men and Women
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Male, Female: The Evolution of Human Sex Differences
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Sexual Selections: What We Can and Can't Learn about Sex from Animals
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Brain Gender
ASIN: 0124874606 |
Book Description
Sex Differences serves as an advanced text for courses in evolutionary and human biology, psychology, and sexuality and gender studies. It also serves as a reference source for academic professionals in these disciplines. The book covers the evolution of sex and sex differences, and sex differences and sexual strategies in non-human and human animals. The final chapter addresses issues of sex and gender in interpersonal relationships, organizations and politics. Diagrams, graphs, charts, and tables illustrate key concepts; cartoons and photos provide visual breaks and an element of humor.
Key Features
* Examines sexual differences from a multi-level comparative approach
* Contains a thorough coverage of literature through 1998 and into 1999
* Illustrates pages with a generous use of cartoons, photos, figures, and diagrams
* Invites bonus learning with special interest boxes interspersed throughout text
* Presents a critical analysis
* Includes a combination of feminist and evolutionary thinking
Customer Reviews:
Clear and Informative.......2001-09-22
This is an excellent, clearly written, well-organized scholarly review of sex differences. The author takes a broad look at the topic, which makes the book useful for a broad range of readers: biologists, psychologists, medical practitioners, ecologists, clinicians,counselors, and the well-informed general reader. The clear writing style and careful review of the literature make this a very accessible and informative book.
Average customer rating:
- exceptionally simplistic and unoriginal
- Fascinating, bold and clear, the book is a must.
- This book is a clear winner
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The Evolution of Love
Ada Lampert
Manufacturer: Praeger Publishers
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ASIN: 0275959074 |
Book Description
Lampert presents the story of love: when, why, and how love became a central experience of humans. Assuming that our world is built of matter, she states that evolution is the change of this matter, according to the supreme criterion of success in offspring reproduction. Love evolved because of its contribution to reproduction. It first appeared in the mothers of mammals, who used the body's proximity as a main adaptation. Human love expands its borders to include the relationships between women and men, friends, and even nonhuman subjects. Lampert describes motherhood as the source of the genetic, hormonal, brain, and behavioral changes that we call love. In the sexual stage, love enters both as a way to select a partner and as a bonding force. Sexuality is built upon ancient layers of early forms of life, before humanity, and includes strong elements of aggression which interrupt our ability to experience a peaceful sexual life. Maternal love and sexual love combine in the evolution of the family. Lampert also examines homosexual love as a way to look at the fascinating process of growing sexual identity and behavior in an individual. Written in a style suited to any educated person, Lampert uses current scientific knowledge on the brain, hormones, the nervous system, ethology, psychology, and even modern physics to make her case. This book will be of interest to students and scholars alike.
Customer Reviews:
exceptionally simplistic and unoriginal.......2004-07-08
This book is a great disappointment -- nothing but warmed over sociobiology with very little to say about the connection of love to other drives and affects; virtually nothing about the neurobiology of love that is not widely known among intelligent lay readers; and very little intelligent even about the subjective experience of different forms of love...The book is only 115 pages -- essentially a long and uninformative magazine article. I feel as the money I spent was taken from me.
Fascinating, bold and clear, the book is a must........1998-10-04
Understanding the evolutionary paradox of extinction versus love, is one of the exciting results follows reading in this bold, clear and entertaining book. Completely innocent of any scientific flamboyance, free from trying to impress us by unnecessary treasures of knowledge, the author presents issues that have been occupied human beings from time immemorial. She uses such a direct, simple tone, that one often forgets how brave she is, and how much freedom of thought, authonomy of mind, were needed for creating, formulating and consolidating her ideas. The basic claim, optimistic although she refrains of any aspiration to foster hopes, is simply that the talents of loving and of being loved, are genetically inherited, not in any creature but in mammals, whose most dramatic contribution to life on earth was the amazing new care for the helpless infant : parenthood. Later on more kinds of love evolved. Witty, humoristic all the way, she shows how evolution shaped our mate selection. There she elaborates also on the incest taboo and adds an extremely interesting note on the Oedipus` complex of Freud. Most illustrative are the chapters discussing the loving brain and its evolutionary shaped repertoire of sexual behaviors, bewildering each of us. The chapter on homosexuality is used to clear how all humans are actually twin-folded and how complicated and vulnerable is the process of establishing sexual, gender identity. Reading this book is a must.
This book is a clear winner.......1998-09-28
I have just read "The Evolution of Love" by Ada Lampert and I am genuinly impressed. She maintains a consistent touch throughout: an attractive lightness of style, a thorough familiarity with the pertinent literature, and a nice penchant for pulling things together theoretically. the latter is probably the book`s greatest strenngth since she theorizes with an intuitive elan one rarely sees in popularized books. she can do so because she is not a reporter visiting someone else`s field, but an ensconced scientist with an original mind. I am going to use this book with my class at the University of Chicago. All in all this book is a clear winner.
Book Description
Human love relationships are one of the most fertile grounds for growth and transformation. Also fraught with difficulty, frustration and pain, they dramatize for us our projections, addictions and wounds. Yet conscious use of relationships can be a fast track to spiritual and psychological transformation.
In The Marriage of Sex and Spirit, thirty-five of the most provocative and fresh voices of our generation give us the keys to transforming relationships from a source of grief and bondage to a celebration of self and other. Drawing together the most powerful wisdom of spiritual teachers, psychiatrists, anthropologists, educators, therapists, coaches, writers, artists, this groundbreaking anthology presents the visions and ideas that form the gateway to transforming both spirituality and sexuality. This powerful collection of practical techniques and breakthrough insights offers the potential to utterly transform your experience of relationships into a source of joy, inspiration and fuel for your spiritual and emotional journey.
* Contributors include many best-selling authors including John Gray, Margo Anand, Gay Hendricks, Susie Bright, Wayne Dyer and others.
Customer Reviews:
great anthology.......2007-09-27
I highly recommend this book for couples interested in sacred relationship. As it is an anthology you do not have to read all the chapters-some may resonate with you more than others
Sacred dimensions of sex.......2007-04-24
Reviewed by Louise Landeta for Reader Views (3/07)
This book is a compilation of philosophical/spiritual/theological thought from a wide variety of teachers in the context of the spiritual dimensions of sexuality. The editor's premise is that sex is sacred.
Ms. Gendreau draws on the wisdom of numerous religious traditions--Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, and Jewish, as well as psychological and sociological models. The book presents a wealth of relationship knowledge all in one place and can be an extremely useful resource to those who wish to learn more and improve their interactions with others.
I note, however, that some of the chapters do not seem to have anything or much to say about sexuality, for example Scott Peck, Francine Ward, Wayne Dyer and Gloria Jean to name a few. They are rather more about traditional approaches to interpersonal dealings. This is not to take away from their value, but I do question their relevance to the book's intent.
Nevertheless, I think this is an excellent anthology, a valuable collection of wise words and ideas.
Margot Anand proposes a thought that was completely new to me and one I find intriguing. She says that, "Orgasm brings us closer to the divine than any other experience . . .a bonding happens between the right and left hemispheres of the brain. . .The ego disappears, time and space cease to exist and you become one with energy and consciousness. This is the sacred dimension of sex." I think her chapter in "The Marriage of Sex and Spirit" was one of the best in relationship to the book's stated intent.
Information for the real world.......2007-01-03
Who doesn't want to improve thier relationships? The idea of expanding the awareness and integration of spirituality into intimate relationships is something that I think will be critical not just to the improvement of individual relationships but to planetary health. The subject matter, and authors like Chopra, Myss, Church and Thich Nhat Hahn caught my attention initially, and while I enjoyed these established thinkers of our time I also enjoyed the newer voices like Courtney Arnold and Jeanne House among others. As with most anthologies, I didn't agree with everything, but there is so much good information that it far outweighed that which didn't resonate.
This book contains real world information by some brilliant people that can be applied in relationships starting today. If you really want to experience not just good but truly successful and fulfilling relationships, the collective wisdom in books like this just might give you the direction and clarity to do just that!
Amazon.com
If you've ever looked upon sperm as a little army of white-coated soldiers setting off to sack and pillage a barely pregnable fortress . . . well, you'd be right, according to this fascinating new book. Dr. Robin Baker, who has studied sperm and cervical mucus in much greater detail than anyone would've thought necessary, has come to some startling conclusions: that less than 1 percent of sperm is actually designed to fertilize an egg (the rest are there to block other men's sperm), and that 4 to 10 percent of all children born to married couples are in fact the offspring of other men, usually of higher socioeconomic status, with whom the mother had a short-term relationship.
Customer Reviews:
Interesting Book.......2007-07-04
My husband and I are trying to get pregnant and I heard about this book through one of my college intructors. This book is really interesting to read if you want to know about this kind of stuff. Very interesting on how the body works!
Identical Book as "Sperm Wars: Infidelity, etc.".......2007-02-19
This book has identical body text as "Sperm Wars: infidelity, bedroom conflicts, etc", but under a different publisher, printed on better quality paper but with fuzzy font. But the other book if you want to read it. The 4 stars are from the other book. 0 star for this book for doing this duplication.
Unbelievable!.......2006-11-11
I could not put this book down. To date, I've probably given about 10 copies away to different friends as gifts, and all have been more or less mesmerized. The information (written by a British "evolutionary biologist"--whatever that is) tells us that every sexual move we make (whether with others or alone) is dictated by some primal and subconscious urge to put forth our very best genetic efforts for the creation of successful and prolific progeny who will then propogate other successful and prolific progeny. It can get a little bogged down in places. However...whew! After reading this (which I recommend), it will be impossible to just lay back and enjoy it ever again without wondering what subconscious game you're both playing!
Sperm Wars-A great theory.......2006-05-22
Although the author has a vast knowledge of animal husbandry, I believe he makes some leaps across the boundaries of genus and species to prove his theories with that knowledge. Overall the book was great on many levels. It gives us a good insight to the behavioral imprinting of sexual habits that most people do in fact make. I am in agreement with the author on a lot of his assumptions, but the hard facts are not presented in this book, at least not for human subjects. I'm glad I bought it because it gives us a lot to think about in the realm of human sexuality.
I highly reccomend it.
Seduction, Stimulation, Social interaction, and Deception........2006-04-18
All the makings of a epic, so forget 'the rules'!
I have absolutely no reservation in recommending this wonderfully insightful book on the fine, but martial art, of mating.
No other work (and ive recently read quite a few), sheds so much light on the complex reproductive strategies and counter-strategies of men and women, both of our conscious and subconscious mind, and more subversively, that of our magnificently diabolical bodies.
Throughtout, i was a repaeted astounded at the information contained within, and although it may have been a 'dumbed down' version of his more scientifically targeted thesis, this book is by no means lightweight. After many a scene, i was left to ponder the deeper significance of his observations.
In retrospect, i was socially ignorant, but thanks to this reality check, so honestly expressed by this author, i find myself in understanding of the behaviour that had me so often bewildered at my fellow humans.
My heart felt gratitude goes out the author for this wonderful book !
Books:
- Why Is Sex Fun?: The Evolution of Human Sexuality (Science Masters)
- Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul
- Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History
- Worldchanging: A User's Guide for the 21st Century
- Worlds in Collision
- 1001 Solved Surveying Fundamentals Problems, 2nd ed.
- 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus
- A Devil's Chaplain: Reflections on Hope, Lies, Science, and Love
- A Time Before Crack
- Atheist Universe: The Thinking Person's Answer to Christian Fundamentalism
Books Index
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Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies
Why Sex Matters: A Darwinian Look at Human Behavior.
The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature
