List Books Toward Sex at Dawn: The Prehistoric Origins of Modern Sexuality
| Original Title: | Sex at Dawn: The Prehistoric Origins of Modern Sexuality |
| ISBN: | 0061707803 (ISBN13: 9780061707803) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Literary Awards: | Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Nonfiction (2010) |
Christopher Ryan
Hardcover | Pages: 400 pages Rating: 4.01 | 21923 Users | 2191 Reviews
Itemize Of Books Sex at Dawn: The Prehistoric Origins of Modern Sexuality
| Title | : | Sex at Dawn: The Prehistoric Origins of Modern Sexuality |
| Author | : | Christopher Ryan |
| Book Format | : | Hardcover |
| Book Edition | : | First Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 400 pages |
| Published | : | June 29th 2010 by HarperCollins |
| Categories | : | Nonfiction. Science |
Narrative In Favor Of Books Sex at Dawn: The Prehistoric Origins of Modern Sexuality
Since Darwin's day, we've been told that sexual monogamy comes naturally to our species. Mainstream science--as well as religious and cultural institutions--has maintained that men and women evolved in families in which a man's possessions and protection were exchanged for a woman's fertility and fidelity. But this narrative is collapsing. Fewer and fewer couples are getting married, and divorce rates keep climbing as adultery and flagging libido drag down even seemingly solid marriages. How can reality be reconciled with the accepted narrative? It can't be, according to renegade thinkers Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jethá. While debunking almost everything we "know" about sex, they offer a bold alternative explanation in this provocative and brilliant book. Ryan and Jethá's central contention is that human beings evolved in egalitarian groups that shared food, child care, and, often, sexual partners. Weaving together convergent, frequently overlooked evidence from anthropology, archaeology, primatology, anatomy, and psychosexuality, the authors show how far from human nature monogamy really is. Human beings everywhere and in every era have confronted the same familiar, intimate situations in surprisingly different ways. The authors expose the ancient roots of human sexuality while pointing toward a more optimistic future illuminated by our innate capacities for love, cooperation, and generosity. With intelligence, humor, and wonder, Ryan and Jethá show how our promiscuous past haunts our struggles over monogamy, sexual orientation, and family dynamics. They explore why long-term fidelity can be so difficult for so many; why sexual passion tends to fade even as love deepens; why many middle-aged men risk everything for transient affairs with younger women; why homosexuality persists in the face of standard evolutionary logic; and what the human body reveals about the prehistoric origins of modern sexuality. In the tradition of the best historical and scientific writing, Sex at Dawn unapologetically upends unwarranted assumptions and unfounded conclusions while offering a revolutionary understanding of why we live and love as we do.Rating Of Books Sex at Dawn: The Prehistoric Origins of Modern Sexuality
Ratings: 4.01 From 21923 Users | 2191 ReviewsEvaluation Of Books Sex at Dawn: The Prehistoric Origins of Modern Sexuality
Now, I agree with the fundamental point they were making here - humans evolved to use sex socially and with many partners, not for monogamy - but their use of science was...shoddy, and high school level writing at best. They at times (oh hell, all the time) dipped back into stereotype to support their claims and to justify their choices of topic. I frequently found myself reading sections of this aloud to my roommates so we could rip it apart together - and that was pretty fun. They'reA popular science book for people who hate science, Sex at Dawn manages to combine weak arguments with a prose style of such overbearing condescension that I had to grit my teeth to get through it. Everything is couched in terms of facile jokiness or, even worse, of coy euphemism, so that we have the ghastly prospect of a supposedly serious book about sexuality that can talk about a human female's naughty bits.The basic argument is that evolutionary psychologists, anthropologists and
Love this review! I heard of this one a while back and plonked it on my to-read list, but judging by the quotes you pulled out that would be time
My friend found this book intriguing. Couldnt put it down, he says. I couldve probably put it down, but I promised him I would read it and read it I did. In Sex at Dawn, Christopher Ryan lays down a slew of what he believes to be persuasive arguments for our prehistoric ancestors being sexually promiscuous. Considering that we are most closely related to the bonobo (a pygmy chimp) in the evolutionary sense, he draws parallels between the bonobos behavior and anatomical particularities to those
Phenomenal mind opening book about the true origins of our societies typical view of sex and monogamy. Also delves into the topics of war and jealousy and if those are indeed innate traits of humans. The facts show they are not. As with many beliefs that are just mindlessly accepted by so many people this points out that many things are not what they seem. And that we as a people need to have the courage and strength to think for ourselves and to continually question and learn for ourselves. The
Fantastic--This is one of those paradigm-shifting books that pretty much changes your belief system. Having read Robin Baker's Sperm Wars and absorbing its grim interpretation of human sexuality, this book, Sex at Dawn came as a pleasant and generally kick-ass surprise.With abundance of humor and compelling narrative, the authors posit that human beings, like their primate cousins, originally engaged in multiple mating for most of their existence on earth before the advent of agriculture. And
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