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2nd out of 12 books
—
8 voters
Sex, Time, and Power: How Women's Sexuality Shaped Human Evolution
Why did big-brained Homo sapiens suddenly emerge some 150,000 years ago? The key, according to Shlain, is female sexuality. He argues 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...more
Paperback, 448 pages
Published
August 3rd 2004
by Penguin Books
(first published July 27th 2004)
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Though there are several problems with the late Shalin's narrative and data, this book is a brave tour into a subject which he propped open (more books on this topic have been flowing from the presses recently).
His hypotheses are super interesting possibilities:
1- Women saved humanity from extinction (by babies with dangerously large skulls) by developing something no other mammal have done: control her "heat" season, and thus ensuing the complicated and crucial art of female/male courtship. Th...more
His hypotheses are super interesting possibilities:
1- Women saved humanity from extinction (by babies with dangerously large skulls) by developing something no other mammal have done: control her "heat" season, and thus ensuing the complicated and crucial art of female/male courtship. Th...more
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 mi...more
Reviews on Amazon.com state that Dr. Shlain is a dynamic speaker and perhaps he is. His writing style is more that a little over the top and the same can be said for conclusion he draws.
The chief issue tackled in this book: why do women, alone among female creatures, menstruate and in a monthly cycle and so copiously? Shlain's premise: When ancient females came to understand that this would occur in a cycle that mimicked that of the moon, they began to understand the concept of time - which men...more
The chief issue tackled in this book: why do women, alone among female creatures, menstruate and in a monthly cycle and so copiously? Shlain's premise: When ancient females came to understand that this would occur in a cycle that mimicked that of the moon, they began to understand the concept of time - which men...more
Interesting views. It is hard for me to say why this book rubs me the wrong way, but it does. It seems to be well researched and there are many different ideas presented that do actually make a lot of sense. Perhaps it is the author's tone or the fact that he seems to preach or that it is just not presented in a scientific format, it reads more like a novel. For whatever reason I found myself scoffing at legitimate theories and taking more of what was presented with a grain of salt than I think...more
Why did Gyna Sapiens begin walking upright? Why do human women bleed profusely during menses, but have no estrus period? Why did human language develop? Shlain tackles all these questions and more in this fascinating and broad look at the history of human evolution, and how it's all tied to women's sexuality. Drawing on a wealth of historical and scholarly research, Shlain presents some fascinating explanations and ties his points together seamlessly. He also raises additional interesting questi...more
Haven't finished it, but I'm up to Chapter 4 and it's fascinating. Very powerful. Thought about reserving that 5th star for when I'm done, but I can't bring myself to do it. What if it impact's someone's reading decision against it?! (GASP!)
Written by a surgeon, who is obviously in command of the English lexicon. Not for the average 7th grade reading level, by any means! However, it's not at all verbose, and reads quickly if you are able to read uninterrupted, or if you also elicit similar vocab...more
Written by a surgeon, who is obviously in command of the English lexicon. Not for the average 7th grade reading level, by any means! However, it's not at all verbose, and reads quickly if you are able to read uninterrupted, or if you also elicit similar vocab...more
Why did big-brained Homo sapiens suddenly emerge some 150,000 years ago? The key, according to Shlain, is female sexuality. He argues 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
This book suggests that the catalyst that propelled our species into homosapians was female sexuality. It's a very interesting concept, one that isn't often considered in discussions of evolution. I also feel like I learned way more about vaginas than I ever wanted to know. It's a very interesting book, but I think that he makes too bold of a claim in suggesting that it was purely (or even mostly) female sexuality that caused our species to evolve. Also the book waxes too poetic for a scientific...more
I was a little nervous when I picked up Leonard Shlain’s Sex, Time and Power. The book is close to 400 pages and didn’t strike me as exactly a beach-read. As I started really delving into the book, I continued to have problems with Shlain’s reasoning and style. The book explores how gender and sexuality has shaped human evolution, differentiating us from our ancestors lower down on the food chain. While usually anything about gender and evolution has me punching my own face, this book was genera...more
I would have given it four stars for the originality of ideas presented and its compelling questions, but there were tangents that made me cringe.
The book is exploring the question of how women's sexuality shaped humanity. Interesting no? It goes back to early human existence and describe what Shlain calls a "sex for meat" arrangement. Women realized the link between sex and pregnancy, and since there was such a high mortality rate among them (due to now larger human heads), they developed veto...more
The book is exploring the question of how women's sexuality shaped humanity. Interesting no? It goes back to early human existence and describe what Shlain calls a "sex for meat" arrangement. Women realized the link between sex and pregnancy, and since there was such a high mortality rate among them (due to now larger human heads), they developed veto...more
I read Shlain's "The Alphabet and the Goddess" earlier this year, a book about how the shift to literacy changed the fundamental way humans thought, giving birth to patriarchal religions, politics, and basically the foundation for modern gender relations and misogyny. In this book, "Sex, Time and Power," Shlain digs deeper into pre-history and forms a theory that a woman's need for iron and her discovery of the relationship between sex and childbirth is actually the root of modern gender relatio...more
Well, with very few reservations, I really liked this book. I had begun the book Art & Physics by the same author with great reluctance and disdain, thinking "oh, how could a surgeon know anything about art?" However, I was pleasantly surprised by the sensitivity and intelligence of his comments. Although on a different subject, I initially approached this book in the same way, but almost immediately changed my tune and found myself already appreciating the transparency of his preface, which...more
Fascinating. First, let me admit the fact that I got the abridged audio version of this book. Leonard Shlain is such a wonderfully pedantic writer, that I knew in advance (from reading "The Alphabet Vs. The Goddess) that I would read 2/3 of this book and lose my steam. Then I would forever mean to pick it up again and regret that I hadn't finished it. So, abridged audio was perfect.
I will let other people, more eloquent than myself, elaborate on the details in Shlain's text, his suppositions, an...more
I will let other people, more eloquent than myself, elaborate on the details in Shlain's text, his suppositions, an...more
The author has some tangents that detract from the presentation of his ideas. He does examine some interesting adaptations in human reproduction - occult ovulation, heavy blood loss, and the placenta. However, his writing style is a diservice to the reader. He really could have benefitted from a more aggressive editor (or one at all) or a co author.
I would highly recommend this to anyone interested in the topic, but it is not a casual read.
I would highly recommend this to anyone interested in the topic, but it is not a casual read.
Wow. I read this book right before my wife was pregnant with our first child. Retrospectively probably not a good thing. But, it certainly gave me a wealth of information about why things are the way they are.
This is a wonderful source of information and argument relating to human evolution written by a neurologist. As short as this review is, I really can't say enough about this book. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
This is a wonderful source of information and argument relating to human evolution written by a neurologist. As short as this review is, I really can't say enough about this book. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
Every man and woman should read this. Not for enjoyment...no no, but for the educational value. I love it when you can take facts add a little bit of fiction and come up with a completely new take on EVERYTHING. This book does just that. It is not for the fate of heart or the enjoyable reader, but I loved it. Men beware! And women, its like the opposite of 50 Shades..LOL
This book was insane! It talks about the act of sex and how women have evolved over time to become the chosers and the source of power in the human race. Women not only live longer, they are responsible for the prorogation of our species and have made evolutionary changes to allow human birth to be possible. It was seriously empowering to read this book.
I have this on my Audible.com account and listen to it using my iTouch. If you can get past the baritone/monotone reader who makes you question whether or not your player is on .75 speed, this is a fascinating book. I'm on my 2nd go-around with it. The ideas are fresh, interesting, and gel beautifully with the statistics and cool facts mentioned. VERY good!
Fanciful drivel at best. For a surgeon, he seems to have no understanding of chemistry or Darwinian evolution. Every chemist knows that magnesium is described as a silvery white, not a dull grey metal! It is only dull after exposure to (moist) air. Hardly paradigm shifting. More like setting modern scientific thought back 200 years.
This book challenged a lot of my beliefs about a woman's worth to greater culter. Shlain is not the most exciting author but his theories and interpretations caused me to take pause several times as I read the book to really think about the implications of his main points.
Thought-provoking is the best way to describe this book. While I am not certain that I agree with all of the author's conclusions, I definitely learned a great deal and found myself thinking about evolution and male/female relations in new ways.
In my top five favorite nonfiction books. An eloquently written and fascinating hypothesis on evolution that I found to be rather even-handed in it's approach. I've read it multiple times, which is something I rarely do with nonfiction.
Started out interesting but it devolved in to so much conjecture with little facts to back anything up. I would have to reiterate what Siobhan says in his comment, I read part of the way through the "Adam monologue" and quit reading it.
I have to come back to write a proper review on this book. One of the most fascinating reads of my life. I still refer to it in a variety of discussions on seemingly unrelated topics. Brilliant, and brilliantly written.
This book deepened my understanding of human history and the meaning of being female. I feel like I can walk a little taller now knowing the true, innate power that women possess. Interesting, engaging, and meaningful.
Jul 18, 2008
Michael
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone interested in why humans are the way that we are
What a fascinating read -- especially for a book that we bought on a whim.
The author does a good job of making it clear when he is speculating and when his views are supported by research, which I really appreciate in a "sciency" book.
The writing is very readable, with some nice bits of humor sprinkled in there. The thinking is excellent.
This will challenge people to think differently about sexuality and humanity. What does a woman reallywant? According to the author, a steak! And, hence, the s...more
The author does a good job of making it clear when he is speculating and when his views are supported by research, which I really appreciate in a "sciency" book.
The writing is very readable, with some nice bits of humor sprinkled in there. The thinking is excellent.
This will challenge people to think differently about sexuality and humanity. What does a woman reallywant? According to the author, a steak! And, hence, the s...more
I read this book when I was a sophomore in college and loved it. I recently read "The Alphabet versus the Goddess" with a more critical eye, but I still think Shlain has interesting points to offer.
Interesting ideas on why men and women relate like they do. Good food for thought, although pretty light on the hows or the whys of some of the early changes.
Interesting story about how women's periods lead to humans learning to tell the time - and also lead to iron deficient women being dependent on men to hunt for meat for them. It pretends to be scientific but at the crux of the argument lapses into a story which depends on an intelligent creator which intended humans to have foresight and helped them to evolve that way.
As a Christian, this doesn't bother me at all. But the author doesn't appear to be aware he's slipped into theology, and blithely...more
As a Christian, this doesn't bother me at all. But the author doesn't appear to be aware he's slipped into theology, and blithely...more
Very interesting perspective on why women's sexuality is the way it is (I never thought to think why we evolved some of the traits that we did)
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Leonard Shlain was an American surgeon and writer, the Chairman of Laparoscopic surgery at the California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco and was an Associate Professor of Surgery at UCSF.
He was a speaker at such venues as the Smithsonian, Harvard University, Salk Institute, Los Alamos National Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center and the European Union's Ministers of Culture. In 1999, he...more
More about Leonard Shlain...
He was a speaker at such venues as the Smithsonian, Harvard University, Salk Institute, Los Alamos National Laboratory, NASA Johnson Space Center and the European Union's Ministers of Culture. In 1999, he...more
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Dec 14, 2012 09:44am