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Sex at Dawn
The Prehistoric Origins of Modern Sexuality
400 pages
A witty, paradigm-shifting exploration of human evolution that gleefully dismantles the standard narrative of natural monogamy.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like sitting at a dinner party next to a brilliant, slightly subversive anthropologist who is determined to blow your mind. The pace is brisk and engaging, carrying you through a provocative dismantling of everything you thought you knew about human relationships. It blends rigorous research with a witty, irreverent tone, making complex evolutionary biology and primatology feel incredibly accessible. The mood is intellectually rebellious and ultimately liberating, replacing the heavy guilt often associated with modern relationship struggles with a more generous, expansive understanding of our prehistoric roots. It will delight curious skeptics, pop-science fans, and anyone who enjoys having their cultural paradigms shifted by a compelling, well-argued alternative history of human desire.
- Mood
- curious
- rebellious
- intellectually stimulating
- liberating
- Tone
- provocative
- witty
- irreverent
- conversational
- persuasive
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- myth of monogamy · societal norms vs human nature · evolutionary psychology · sexual liberation · prehistoric egalitarianism
- The writing
- Accessible and humorous, blending rigorous anthropological research with a breezy, conversational pop-science flair.
- The arc
- Begins with a provocative dismantling of deeply held cultural assumptions and builds toward a liberating, expansive view of human connection.
- Who it's for
- Curious skeptics and pop-science enthusiasts who love having their cultural paradigms shifted and their assumptions about human nature challenged.
Content notes
- frank discussions of sexuality
- infidelity
- critiques of traditional marriage
About the book
"A controversial, idea-driven book that challenges everything you know about sex, marriage, family, and society"--Provided by publisher.
Since Darwin's day, we've been told that sexual monogamy comes naturally to our species. But this narrative is collapsing. Here, renegade thinkers Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jethá, while debunking almost everything we "know" about sex, offer a bold alternative explanation. 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. With intelligence, humor, and wonder, Ryan and Jethá show how our promiscuous past haunts our struggles over monogamy, sexual orientation, and family dynamics. 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.--From publisher description.
Description from Open Library.
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