The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature

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The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature

by Matt Ridley

4.02 · rating details · 1,880 ratings · 171 reviews

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 -- includin

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Paperback, 416 pages

Published April 29th 2003 by Harper Perennial (first published 1993)

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Aug 24, 2008

Jason rated it

Recommended to Jason by: Heather

Well, I had hoped to write this review closer to having read the book, but I'll write this anyway, just without some of the examples I was hoping to remember.

Roughly the first 1/2 to 2/3 of the books covers the different explanations for why sex arose and the mating habits of various non-human species. One thing that is great about this book is it will relate a theory, then an insufficiency in the theory, then a counter theory, then additional findings, and back and forth and so on....more

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Oct 07, 2007

Courtney rated it

Recommends it for: anyone who has no idea why they fall in love with the wrong person

Things I learned from this book: (human) women like tall men, (human) men like beautiful women, (barn swallow) women like men with long, symmetrical tails, gentlemen prefer blondes, sperm are small because they made a dastardly deal with nature, gender exists (and there are two of them) essentially as an accidental by-product of a primordial genetic arms race, why (we think) that we (or anything else) has sex (as opposed to splitting in half or excanging packets of DNA), why roosters have wattl...more

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Jan 03, 2012

Andy rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 2011

I've been meaning to read this for years, after an old flat-mate told me about it while studying for his BSc in the psychology of attraction. Finally found it in a charity shop in Tunbridge Wells and decided to finish of the year with some evolutionary pondering.

Matt Ridley freely states that the first third may not be as interesting to some as he details the background of evolutionary theory in relation to sexual activity and behaviour in animals. Dry perhaps, may be a better term. ...more

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Dec 24, 2010

Rhaegar rated it

I'm not sure why I read that now, as I've slowly grown to hate pop-psychology and especially pop-evolutionary-psychology with a passion, but I did read this one some time ago. It's much more logical and believable than most, but I'd still warn against blindly trusting any of its conclusions. I'd recommend a book in the philosophy of science first. I'm reminded of Noam Chomsky's critique of evolutionary psychology - "You find that people cooperate, you say, ‘Yeah, that contributes to their g...more

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Sep 03, 2010

Clif rated it

I didn't give five stars because I found this book something of a slog in the beginning.

To make his case, it's necessary for Ridley to give an account of what has been found true of animal behavior before moving on to relate it to the most familiar animal, man. These accounts of the sex lives of birds and mammals and so on are rather dull to me.

But stick with it! The book gets more interesting until it becomes absolutely fascinating with the chapter "Sexing the Mind"...moreI didn't give five stars because I found this book something of a slog in the beginning.

To make his case, it's necessary for Ridley to give an account of what has been found true of animal behavior before moving on to relate it to the most familiar animal, man. These accounts of the sex lives of birds and mammals and so on are rather dull to me.

But stick with it! The book gets more interesting until it becomes absolutely fascinating with the chapter "Sexing the Mind". From that point on I was hanging on almost every sentence. The conclusions the author reaches are surprising, enlightening, exciting, because they are so reasonable in view of the evidence for them.

The idea that prompts the title is drawn from the Red Queen, a character in Carroll's Through the Looking Glass, who must keep running faster all the time just to keep up. Evolution demands the same.

The natural environment puts demands on every living thing. The most demanding thing for animals that have separate sexes, is for each sex to keep up with what the other wants - sexual selection.

We can't reproduce by ourselves, so we must be able to come together with at least one member of the opposite sex to provide a future for our genes. The success of the individual in doing this determines his/her influence on future generations - what they will be like, how attractive they will be. Thus, each sex is in a contest with others of it own sex in being the most attractive to the opposite sex. It's a race that never ends.

The parallels between other animals and man are remarkable. Just as remarkable are the unique characteristics of man. Why do we have such huge brains for our body size and so intelligent? Whey are we so accomplished in music and the arts and even sense of humor? Why do we have such a highly developed consciousness? Why do we have two sexes when other forms of life may have many more, or no sex, or both sexes on the same individual? Why are we monogamous and are we necessarily so?

The book is driven by the question - "what is human nature?" - what is it that defines us, that we have in common with each other regardless of our individual differences?

The Red Queen is going straight to my bookshelf because I know I will want to read it again. I just wish it were available on the Kindle so I could use the wonderful note-taking feature of that gadget.

I shouldn't forget a warning - Ridley is no fan of the social sciences. If you think culture makes us what we are, you won't find any support for it here. He's got no time for Margaret Mead or B.F. Skinner and Freud, though he had some good insights, was off to outer space with his theory of the unconscious oedipal drive. For Ridley, evolution is in the driver's seat.(less)

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Mar 31, 2010

Juan Pablo rated it

Shelves: biology, evolution, red-queen, science, pop-science, non-fiction, human-nature

As I was reading the first chapter, I kept thinking I was embarking on something written by a geek giggling at the word "sex"; I don't think I was entirely wrong, but if there was any giggling from the author at the mention of sex, it was for truly fascinating reasons.

I disliked the first chapter: anything titled "Human Nature" in this day and age seems preposterous. I kept on reading, nevertheless, hoping I'd find salvageable bits from this.

I was absolute...moreAs I was reading the first chapter, I kept thinking I was embarking on something written by a geek giggling at the word "sex"; I don't think I was entirely wrong, but if there was any giggling from the author at the mention of sex, it was for truly fascinating reasons.

I disliked the first chapter: anything titled "Human Nature" in this day and age seems preposterous. I kept on reading, nevertheless, hoping I'd find salvageable bits from this.

I was absolutely enraptured by chapter three, at which point Ridley was on his way in the dissection of one of the most fascinating concepts I've ever encountered. The first chapter was an overture, I'll stick to saying not particularly well written, but should just be understood as such; the opera begins in chapter two.

Mental experiment: Say you have four people, two of them a couple, male and female, who reproduce sexually, and the other two asexually reproducing females (it's called parthenogenesis, bear with me). They reproduce, what do you have? The couple has one offspring, the asexuals have one each for a total of two offspring. Asexual reproduction seems to be twice as efficient as sexual reproduction, so, why sex?

Because it's fun, some might say, but this book, which kicks off with the sex enigma, provides far more informative analysis of the matter, which has been a mainstay in evolutionary biology. Turns out parasites have a lot to do with this evolutionary device...

Remember the Red Queen from Lewis Carroll's wonderland? She runs around but never gets anywhere because the world moves along with her. Well, that's where the title of the book and the name of a fascinating concept come from. A host and a parasite are entangled in a Red Queen situation, where the faster evolving parasite succeeds as he breaks the host's defenses and the host succeeds when he prevents the parasite from doing so, thus running but never getting anywhere because of the changing situation. This may be referred to as an arms race as well in military imagery, but I feel the absurdity of Carroll's character makes Red Queen preferable.

This Red Queen concept, and I'm sure wikipedia will do a much better job of explaining it than me, holds sway in many of evolution's questions and beyond. Ridley is witty and entertaining in his exposition, creating a truly eye-opening experience in this book for anyone with an interest in the ideas that shape our understanding of the world around us and ourselves. The book explores evolution via sexual selection, never missing illustrative examples along the way, and does a fair job at presenting the different views that have historically shaped how science understands sex and its consequences.

Ridley used to be science editor at The Economist, which leads me to believe adds to the conciseness and clarity in his writing. Throughout the final chapters of the book, he delves into human nature, having gained much credibility from the writing that preceded them. His treatment of such a debated subject is incredibly illustrative of the many forces usually ignored by the disciplines that usually deal with such a subject, and provides us with an extensive look at how evolution and the Red Queen can inform.

I think I'll be coming back to this book many times from now on in my thought and in my understanding of everything around me.(less)

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Jun 14, 2009

Jesse B rated it

Recommends it for: whoever takes the simplest interests in human nature.

Recommended to Jesse by: Leanard Shlain ("Sex,Time, and Power")

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This is a pretty compressed but well thought out book. It attempts to point out and understand the mechanics in which people and all living creatures are "hard-wired" to through genetics. This gene-centric view of behavior was suggested ever since their discovery but was introduced to pop-science by Richard Dawkins in the "The Selfish Gene (1974)."

Dawkin's argument, along with many, was that creatures DO NOT work for the good of the whole but are rather "ve...moreThis is a pretty compressed but well thought out book. It attempts to point out and understand the mechanics in which people and all living creatures are "hard-wired" to through genetics. This gene-centric view of behavior was suggested ever since their discovery but was introduced to pop-science by Richard Dawkins in the "The Selfish Gene (1974)."

Dawkin's argument, along with many, was that creatures DO NOT work for the good of the whole but are rather "vessels" in which our genes are the captains driving evolution through ever changing environmental issues and competition. For example: a male crocodile, even on the steady course toward extinction, will kill babies of another male so that his own genes are selected for the next generation of crocs. The more suitable thing to do in order to sustain their species would be to allow all babies to live and mate as well. If they were thinking for the good of the whole, this would be the case.

Cooperation in certain species is looked at as an evolutionary adaptation in order to establish a system in which common goals within a species are met. Monogomy would be a prime example of this adaptation.

Through all the in depth examinations on how genes operate and why, the main point that Matt Ridley is making is that evolution is a treadmill and not a ladder. He references The Red Queen from "Through the Looking Glass," a sequel to Alice in Wonderland in which Alice encounters a character who must run in order to stay in one place. If she does not run, she falls behind. And of course, to move forward she must run even faster. Evolution to Matt Ridley and most evolutionary biologist is a chess-like stalemate.

After finally reaching the last few chapters of the book, I realized that reading the first half was a waste of time because, while his thesis is claimed throughout these chapters, too many references are used for every single little idea that he presents. It was almost as if he was afraid of not using enough citations but got progressively relaxed as the book moved forward.

As soon as I'm done reading this gem, I will leave a more detailed review about the specific ideas that are laid out. Stay-tuned and buy this book if you are interested in the nature of human relationships and are even wanting to improve the way that you interact with the opposite sex. It is even recommended by Neil Strauss ("The Game"). Don't buy it strictly for this cause as it mainly deals with the evolutionary aspect of human relationships.(less)

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Oct 20, 2010

Mark rated it

In a frenetic effort to stay interesting, Matt Ridley unconsciously finishes his book with a terrific built-in summary by introducing Robin Dunbar's "Scherazade Effect" which is the frenetic effort to stay interesting, with sex and hence reproduction and life itself at stake.

The book's a little like that: Matt's a consummate researcher and very good at explaining, and he's scraped together a mountain of anecdotes in support of his thesis which is, what exactly? It's kind o...more

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Feb 28, 2011

Samantha rated it

In The Red Queen, Matt Ridley asserts that sexual selection is more prominent a factor of survival of a species than natural selection in its general form. Ridley cites Darwin, multiple fascinating biological studies, and psychological experiments. The findings of all his data verify his assertion well, though somehow I feel jilted. There is so much more to life than reproduction and procreation of the species. Attraction is not as simple a matter as genetic predilection and instinct, or general...more

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May 02, 2011

Valia rated it

Shelves: popular-science

В конце концов мне оказалось лень писать полную рецензию.

По большому счету, я с главной мыслью автора согласна. Но раздражает заметное количество лажи, которое он утверждает таким тоном, как будто это факт и только дураки будут спорить.

Самые неудачные главы — восьмая, «Sexing the Mind», и девятая, «The Uses of Beauty». В этих двух главах было очень много единичных случаев, которые преподносились как повсеместные.

Один из примеров, из главы про красоту. Автор го...moreВ конце концов мне оказалось лень писать полную рецензию.

По большому счету, я с главной мыслью автора согласна. Но раздражает заметное количество лажи, которое он утверждает таким тоном, как будто это факт и только дураки будут спорить.

Самые неудачные главы — восьмая, «Sexing the Mind», и девятая, «The Uses of Beauty». В этих двух главах было очень много единичных случаев, которые преподносились как повсеместные.

Один из примеров, из главы про красоту. Автор говорит, что под универсальной красотой стоит понимать молодость и здоровье — и с этим трудно не согласиться. Но при этом он утверждает, к примеру, следующее.

1. Блондинки — вечный и повсеместный эталон красоты, потому что с возрастом светлые волосы темнеют, и по блондинкам легко определить возраст. Он говорит, что даже в древнем Риме были женщины, которые красили волосы в светлый цвет. Однако он не говорит, сколько было таких женщин или сколько было женщин, которые красили волосы в другие цвета. Или вот он говорит типа в подтверждение, что в английском fair означает и «светлый», и «красивый». А в других языках? При том, что подавляющее большинство населения планеты даже рядом с блондинами не стояли.

2. Самая предпочтительная фигура для женщин — «песочные часы» (в одном месте книги) или неважно какая, лишь бы отношение обхвата талии к обхвату бедер было как можно меньше (в другом месте). Это тоже преподносится как универсальный стандарт. Однако реально это отношение, например, значительно ближе к 1 в одних странах и значительно ближе к 0,5 в других. Да что далеко ходить, Венера Боттичелли весьма и весьма пузата, а вот эта девушка с большим животом и узкими бедрами даже как-то больше похожа на ромб, чем песочные часы. С фигурой автор вообще как-то часто путался в показаниях, и под словом thin подразумевал в разных местах как девушек с анорексией, так и «песочные часы».

Ну или вот он говорил про гомосексуалистов. По поддерживаемой им теории, гомосексуалистами становятся носители определенных генов, у которых при этом не было достаточного уровня тестостерона в определенном возрасте. А откуда берутся, например, лесбиянки? А бисексуалы? Складывается впечатление, что про лесбиянок и бисексуалов просто не было удобных результатов, вот они и не упоминаются вовсе.

Возможно, если б он писал эту книгу сейчас, а не двадцать лет назад, она бы удалась ему лучше.(less)

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Jul 27, 2008

-uht! rated it

Shelves: science

My God, I loved this book. Extremely accessible, yet very substantial. I don't think I can ever think about sex or human nature the same way. I feel that this is one of those seminal books that a person can't go back from.

And it certainly does make it strange to go to a party and watch all the humans hooking up.

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Dec 05, 2010

Will rated it

It's uneven in places, but it gives a good overview of evolutionary psychology, and shines some interesting light on the historical patterns of how men with high status do what they can to get as many offspring as possible. The details on harems are especially fascinating, partly because it's so utterly politically incorrect.

However, there are parts of the book that just plain fallover. He claims to have no answer for fashion (given that men don't care about it, why do women do so mu...more

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Jul 02, 2010

أحمد rated it

اسئلة كثير جدا طرحها هذا الكتاب كلها اسئلة اساسية و نأخذها نحن عبر العصور كمسلمات بديهية
لماذا الحب؟
لماذا نوعان فقط (ذكر و انثي) و ليس ثلاثة او اكثر؟
لماذا يوجد تكاثر جنسي؟

و السؤال الاخطر
طبيعة الانسان هل يوجد طبيعة خاصة للمرأة و الرجل؟

الكتاب رائع فهو يطرح الاسئلة بلا كلل و يستعرض العديد من الكائنات الموجودة علي الارض من خلال ابحاث نشرت تحاول الاجابة عن الاسئلة

يمكن فصل الكتاب لجزئيين جزء خاص بالبيولوجيا و جزء خاص بالتطور الاخلاقي و طبيعة...more

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Apr 29, 2011

Ahf rated it

· review of another edition

I was wrong: Upon completion I'd say this. This started out so dry that I almost gave up, but I ended up really liking it. Very scientific review of why humans have 2 genders and aren't hermaphrodides, what advantages procreating through sex rather than one of the many other ways has etc. Once you get past the first 1/3 it becomes much more understandable and interesting. Rule 1 for all humans, "success in life equals having grandchildren survive to adulthood" (read - pass on your...more

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Dec 24, 2008

Halle rated it

Overall, the Red Queen is a great introduction (and coverage) of the Red Queen hypothesis in evolutionary biology/sociology. Ridley uses examples, research, and plain english to describe what others are unable to put in [understandable] words.

At times, he's a bit too loquacious. One story is enough to pound home an idea. And the theory itself is a tad depressing, and discredits (or rather, forgets) any tenderness or love that works into the equation of reproduction. I suppose re...more

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Feb 05, 2011

Susan rated it

Shelves: non-fiction

Writing in 1993, Matt Ridley argues that much of human nature has been determined by the struggle of our genes to perpetuate themselves, in a never-ending contest against bacteria, parasites, and other humans. The analogy of the Red Queen comes from Alice in Wonderland, where the red queen had to keep running constantly to stay in the same place.

Ridley summarizes the current state of knowledge and speculation at the time he wrote, quoting scientists in many fields. And he uses numbe...more

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Feb 01, 2012

Parker F rated it

A fascinating book on my favorite topic. The author refreshingly acknowledges that half of the theories he espouses in the book are likely to be wrong; for instance, I am highly skeptical of Ridley's theory that human large-brainedness arose from runaway sexual selection favoring cute, disproportionately large heads. Nonetheless, I have no good reason to doubt this, and, as Ridley notes, all arguments of runaway sexual selection involve somewhat circular reasoning. I was fond of Ridley's literar...more

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Nov 30, 2008

John rated it

Recommends it for: Most People

"Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!" - The Red Queen from Lewis Carroll's "Through the Looking-Glass."

Sounds like the human race. We may be more technological but we have not evolved into a wiser species.

Ridley's prose is lucid, direct, concise and often humorous. Ridley effectively argues that love does not make the world...more

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Jul 25, 2011

Ryan Erwin rated it

Excellent book. Definitely worth reading for everyone, particularly followers of any religion.

Summary is that Human Intelligence, just like a peacocks feathers, are the result of Sexual Selection. The more intelligent, the more able to outsmart other humans, and the more able to mate --- this especially applies to men.

Few aspects of human nature can be understood apart from sex, since human nature is a product of evolution, and evolution in our case is driven specifically by ...more

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Jan 05, 2011

Ted Trembinski rated it

Shelves: book

For the evolutionist or pick up artist, this book is an interesting read.

Framing people as organisms, applying Darwin's principles of Natural and Sexual Selection, and then sorting out the rest is the ride any reader will find himself on through this book. Ridley talks about life as a whole and the great changes which it has gone through in a neutral and objective tone. He sides not with Darwin in the thought that we are what we are because of a great many iterations in genetic reco...moreFor the evolutionist or pick up artist, this book is an interesting read.

Framing people as organisms, applying Darwin's principles of Natural and Sexual Selection, and then sorting out the rest is the ride any reader will find himself on through this book. Ridley talks about life as a whole and the great changes which it has gone through in a neutral and objective tone. He sides not with Darwin in the thought that we are what we are because of a great many iterations in genetic recombination.

My one main concern with this text is how it is organized. While it sticks to one central topic at a time, I found it hard to follow at times, and hard to stay interested in. I originally picked up this book after hearing about it in several PUA materials. While it is not in the same line of many of the PUA materials I've seen, it does take the same attitude of the ones I've found most effective; men and women have a partially inherent nature which can and is exploited in mating. Being more aware of how and why these natures can be exploited not only gives insight into what it means to be a modern human, but also can derive more pleasure as well as enhancing ones quality of life.

Don't get me wrong; some of the outcomes which can be derived in this book are quite cynical, but I believe turning a blind eye to cynical views will not lead to a greater understanding of life. Ignorance might be bliss, but it can also be dangerous and lead to far less than ideal conditions.

The book jumps around in it's use of evidence, pulling from a study here on birds to a historical anecdote of an ancient culture's harem practices. Many of these push the book into a more respectable and grounded set of ideas, while some seem to only challenge the readers ideas and standard beliefs. Either way, critically thinking about human history and nature is not a bad way to spend the day.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who is interested in why men and women act the way they do, to anyone interested in evolution, or to anyone who is fascinated with sex.(less)

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Apr 18, 2011

Bree rated it

Shelves: non-fiction, own, books-i-cannot-quite-finish

This was one of those books that I bought because I was sucked in by the title and the cover. Plus I thought, hey that's kinda out of my comfort zone, I'd like to push myself to read something new and possibly difficult to understand.

I couldn't make it past the first chapter, so I read the end in hopes to find what his conclusion is and its we are all apes in the end. I find that rather depressing and quite hard to believe. I find it hard to swallow that we are only biological ani...more

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Jun 06, 2010

trina rated it

Recommends it for: big-brained sexy apes

Shelves: non-fiction-equals-not-not-real

an exposition of the basic idea that 'man is a self-domesticated animal', only far more interesting and accessible than that sounds. matt ridley tackles the question of why human beings reproduce sexually- you'd think the answer'd be 'because it's fun!', but you'd be wrong- when in the race for genes to reproduce themselves in mass quantities, asexual reproduction is more efficient and a more certain success, numbers-wise.

the general answer has to do with parasites, and with the ide...morean exposition of the basic idea that 'man is a self-domesticated animal', only far more interesting and accessible than that sounds. matt ridley tackles the question of why human beings reproduce sexually- you'd think the answer'd be 'because it's fun!', but you'd be wrong- when in the race for genes to reproduce themselves in mass quantities, asexual reproduction is more efficient and a more certain success, numbers-wise.

the general answer has to do with parasites, and with the idea that like alice in wonderland's red queen, who is always running but staying in the same place because her surroundings are constantly moving too, creatures are locked into an evolutionary arms race where the sooner you evolve a defense, the sooner your enemies evolve a method to crack that defense, etc. etc. we have only to read the thousands of horrifying recent articles about new strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria cropping up everywhere to understand intimately that this red queen hypothesis makes sense and what it means for us.

from establishing the red queen as the basis for sexual reproduction, ridley goes on to attempt to explain the existence of a universal human nature through the lens of the effects of sexual selection on evolution. we think our lives and natures are determined by our free wills, but what if free will itself is an evolutionary ploy? or, what if evolution, instead of pitting species against species for resources and survival, is actually a vicious competition between members of the same species- like between men and women, for example? he discusses everything from why men universally prefer young women, to the standards of beauty that govern young women's lives, to why monogamy- and subsequently, adultery (as well as the strictures against it)- is the preferred organization of sexual couples the world over. he also covers the long and colored history of polygamy in humans, and compares the way we organize our lives with how our closest relatives the apes organize theirs, as well as flies, pheasants, mice, and all manner of distantly related beasties.

i'm not doing justice to the beautiful complexity of this book, but i enjoyed it a lot and felt that i learned quite a bit too. it is well paced to ensure the understanding of even the most scientifically-deficient reader, i think, and he establishes his hypotheses so well that each chapter feels very common-sense and revelatory. also, being somewhat of an amazon at times, i got a lot of laughs from his constant assertion that males are not useless, and in fact they serve such and such service which he would then elaborate upon. he assumes- and assumes that we assume- that males are an aberration, or a waste of genetic space, because they well, kind of are? genetically speaking, that is, and without factoring in the usefulness of sex and genders according to the red queen hypothesis. good stuff. i also appreciated being exposed to the idea that, contrary to what our moralizing society would like us to believe, many of the things that make us well adapted to survival and reproduction are not things that make us good or even basically decent people. and i liked that he makes that clear while also making it clear that just because something is 'natural' does not mean it is right or inevitable, and that our laws, which have evolved along with us like anything else, can be upheld and followed even in the face of our own natural impulses- towards violence or sexual injustice, for example.

the idea of 'change without progress' is one that flies in the face of our onward and upward modern mentality, but all it takes is a quick look around at our complicated lives and the manifold ways we've fucked everything up or failed to properly understand anything in all the years we've been 'making progress' to intuitively know that while the red queen may not be the entire explanation for why we are the way we are, it goes a long way towards an answer, one untainted by our 'reason' or morals or politics.(less)

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Sep 19, 2008

Nicholas rated it

Shelves: psychology, biology

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I feel like I really missed out on what this book had to offer. I don't think that I had the requisite background for it at the time. Reread.

This book is about the effect of parasites on sex and culture. Sex is the caused by the need to fight off parasites that have a much faster generational cycle than we do. Our culture is a product in large part of this sexual dynamic.

Quotes:

"Evolution is a treadmill not a ladder."

"Evolution is so...more

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Aug 16, 2008

Toni rated it

Recommends it for: biology majors or those interested in evolutionary biology

Recommended to Toni by: accidental web search

Not to be confused with Drabble's novel, this non-fiction is all about your genes. Loved it! If you think it's not all about sex, you're mistaken. Your sex genes, as are all animals', are evolving as fast as any other gene in your body and they are in strong competition with others' sex genes that are all striving to make it into future generations. All animals are subject to gene competition, but who knew that males and females are in competition with each other the second they begin courts...more

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Feb 03, 2012

David rated it

Shelves: science, read-in-2012, favorites

I read this book about the same time I was reading the Selfish Gene and it was a great companion book. Ridley seems to fully accept the selfish gene theory and uses that as one of his basis for the idea of evolution. I preferred this book over Dawkins book, Ridley is a far better writer and the book focused less on the concept and more on explaining things using good analogies and tons of scientific studies (and open ended speculation). I also really liked that right from the beginning Ridley...more

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Apr 15, 2011

Cassandra Silva rated it

Shelves: science

This was an absolutely fantastic book. I love this author! The questions posed in the work are terribly to the point. Why do we have two sexes? Why not perform Asexual reproduction as many plant species do? What are the genetic, and social functions of sex from an evolutionary standpoint? I remember wondering about this very thing when studying botany in college. How did we evolve to be a diplontic species? (I want to be a dikaryotic fungus by the way... yes I did go there). Basically if you lov...more

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Jan 18, 2011

Andrés rated it

Shelves: own

Presenta una interesante visión de la naturaleza humana desde la biologia. Me gusta el estilo del libro, presenta un fenomeno, expone distintas teorias que pretenden explicarlo y luego las va analizando y descartando.
Esta lleno de conjeturas interesantes y debates aun abiertos, como dice el autor en las conclusiones "Half of the ideas on this book are probably wrong.".

Ahora miro la raza humana con renovado respeto. [y desconfianza]

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Mar 28, 2011

Fred rated it

Although it was not particularly well organized, and some of the more complex theories were not made entirely clear, this was a very enjoyable and enlightening exploration of evolutionary biology.

While still amazed by the idea of examining human society with the tools of evolutionary biology, it is interesting how many basic questions are still unanswerable, such as: why are there homosexuals? Or: why do we have such big brains?

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Jun 27, 2011

Forvalaka rated it

Shelves: read-in-2011

I really enjoyed this book. As a scientific non-fiction read it's definitely not for everyone.
To be honest, it's not for most people. But if you're the kind of person what would enjoy finding out things like:
* Why do humans reproduce sexually instead of asexually?
* Is there a biological reason why men value attractiveness in a potential mate more than women do? (spoiler: yes)
* Are polygamy laws to protect women or to protect men? (you might be surprised)

then I *high...more

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Feb 19, 2011

MikeFromQueens rated it

Started out great - with biological and genetic discussion and evidence of Red Queen theory. Thought provoking analysis and scientific inquiry supported the author's perspective, right up to the point where the focus of the book changed from biology to behavior. The author continued to argue that human behavior is biologically based, but the Red Queen scientific inquiry was lost in this part. Ridley stuck to his position that the Red Queen is working through human behavior, and while this is ...more

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About Matt Ridley

The Hon. Matthew White Ridley (born 7 February 1958, in Northumberland) is an English science writer, businessman and aristocrat. Ridley was educated at Eton and Magdalen College, Oxford where he received a doctorate in zoology before commencing a career in journalism. Ridley worked as the science editor of The Economist from 1984 to 1987 and was then its Washington correspondent from 1987 to 1989...more

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Books by Matt Ridley

The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves

The Origins of Virtue: Human Instincts and the Evolution of Cooperation

The Agile Gene: How Nature Turns on Nurture

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“Life is a Sisyphean race, run ever faster toward a finish line that is merely the start of the next race” — 2 people liked it

“Genes are biochemical recipes written in a four-letter alphabet called DNA.” — 1 person liked it

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