Sex at Dawn: The Prehistoric Origins of Modern Sexuality

Description

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. (edited by author)

Reviews

Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2010-09-03
Summary: "anthro perspective on monogamy"

informative like a textbook without being dry. Very interesting read if you dare to challenge the Western ideal social patterns as 'norm'.

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2010-08-28
Summary: "Best book since The Myth of Monogamy"

Until I read Sex and Dawn, the best book on the subject, in my opinion, was The Myth of Monogamy. I think this book takes the subject to a whole other level. As a lifelong student of sex and a psychologist, I have read all the best and worst. I dare say, it will be at least another decade before a book this good comes out. If you want to really challenge your culture and religion bound ideas about sex and sexuality, this book will do it. When you are finished, you will understand just how programmed we have been by our culture and how many choices we can make ourselves, once we recognize this. Don't let society, religion or culture determine your sexuality and sexual expression, make your own choices and enjoy the huge capacity for sex and enjoyment that all of us have as humans.

Dr. Darrel Ray, author of The God Virus: How Religion Infects Our Lives and Culture The God Virus: How religion infects our lives and culture

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2010-08-27
Summary: "Another perspective"

Sex At Dawn gives an alternative perspective to the standard narrative of how humans have evolved in a constantly changing world. I enjoyed the humor as well as the science that is packed into this book. Whether or not you agree with the conclusions made by the authors it will open your mind and give you something to think about; as well as excellent fodder for conversation. Enjoy!

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2010-08-24
Summary: "Very interesting ideas"

This book is a different look at Human Sexual Behavior and I, for one, believe it. The book is written in a humorous style that puts forth its serious ideas in an amusing and easy reading way. I am a middle aged white woman and my college student, possible Anthropology major, daughter is also reading it. Our sexual discussions have really gotten interesting. It's my new way of looking at life.

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Rating: 5 / 5
Date: 2010-08-21
Summary: "Fascinating book that reexamines what human nature really is"

This book helped me to see that much of what we think of as Human Nature is just a relic of the time when humans switched from a society of foragers to one based on agriculture. An excellent deconstruction of many of the myths that lead to so much unhappiness in human relationships. I wouldn't have wanted to go through life without at least knowing these theories concerning the true nature of our species.

Also this is a great complement to a book by Steve Taylor named The Fall that examines the results of the switch to an agricultural society.
The Fall: The Insanity of the Ego in Human History and the Dawning of A New Era