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 Jetha. While debunking almost everything we "know" about
sex, they offer a bold alternative explanation in this provocative
and brilliant book.
Ryan and Jetha'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 Jetha 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.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!