Synopses & Reviews
Why did big-brained Homo sapiens suddenly emerge some 150,000 years ago? In this
provocative new book, Leonard Shlain, author the bestselling Art & Physics
and
The Alphabet Versus the Goddess argues that profound alterations in female
sexuality hold the key to this mystery.
Long ago, due to the narrowness of her bipedal pelvis and the increasing size
of her infants’ heads, the human female began to experience high childbirth
death rates, precipitating a crisis for the species. Natural selection adapted
her to this unique environmental stress by drastically reconfiguring her hormonal
reproductive cycle. Her estrus disappeared and menses mysteriously entrained
with the periodicity of the moon. Women formulated the concept of a month,
which in turn allowed them to make the connection between sex and pregnancy.
Upon learning the majestic secret of time these ancestral females then gained
the power to refuse sex when they were ovulating. Men were forced to confront
women who possessed a mind of their own.
Women taught men about time and the men used this knowledge to become the
planet’s most fearsome predator. Unfortunately, they also discovered
that they were mortal. Men, then invented religions to soften the certainty
of death. Subsequently, they belatedly grasped the function of sex. The possibility
of achieving a kind of immortality through heirs drove men to construct patriarchal
cultures whose purpose was to control women’s reproductive choices.
Leonard Shlain explores how these archaic insights about sex, time and power
dramatically altered all subsequent human cultures, from the nature of courtship
to the institution of marriage to the evolution of language. Along the way,
the author also offers innovative and provocative theories concerning the human
origins of menstrual harmony among closeknit women, homosexuality, superstition,
masturbation, early menopause, circumcision, left-handedness, baldness, color
blindness, sadism, and orgasms. His book also addresses the reasons why humans
have the deepest capacity to love each other over the longest periods of time
compared to any other animal. Sex, Time and Power is a compelling
book that challenges accepted views of human sexuality and is sure to stimulate
new thinking
about old matters.
Review
"Shlain makes brilliant use of his medical expertise in his highly original and intellectually stimulating inquiry into human sexuality and its role in the shaping of civilization." Booklist
Review
"Shlain fuses ideas and facts from a wide array of disciplines to create a coherent, convincing and captivating narrative." San Francisco Chronicle Book Review
Review
"Beautifully written and rich in ideas." Ann Druyan, coauthor with Carl Sagan of Cosmos, Contact, and Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors
Review
"If Shlain sometimes goes too far in the right direction...he always stretches your mind so radically it will never return to its original shape." Sam Keen, author of Fire in the Belly
Review
"Shlain's fanciful book is not exactly science, but it is intelligent, well written and well intentioned." Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
Includes bibliographical references (p. [387]-402) and index.
Synopsis
Shlain offers carefully reasoned and certain-to-be-controversial discussions on subjects such as menses, orgasm, masturbation, menopause, circumcision, male aggression, the evolution of language, homosexuality, and the origin of marriage.
Synopsis
As in the bestselling The Alphabet Versus the Goddess, Leonard Shlain’s provocative new book promises to change the way readers view themselves and where they came from.
Sex, Time, and Power offers a tantalizing answer to an age-old question: Why did big-brained Homo sapiens suddenly emerge some 150,000 years ago? The key, according to Shlain, is female sexuality. Drawing on an awesome breadth of research, he shows 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 than ensure our existence; they imbued women with the concept of time, and gave them control over sex—a power that males sought to reclaim. And the possibility of achieving immortality through heirs drove men to construct patriarchal cultures that went on to dominate so much of human history.
From the nature of courtship to the evolution of language, Shlain’s brilliant and wide-ranging exploration stimulates new thinking about very old matters.
Synopsis
As in the bestsellingand#160;The Alphabet Versus the Goddess, Leonard Shlainandrsquo;s provocative new book promises to change the way readers view themselves and where they came from.
Sex, Time, and Power offers a tantalizing answer to an age-old question: Why did big-brained Homo sapiens suddenly emerge some 150,000 years ago? The key, according to Shlain, is female sexuality. Drawing on an awesome breadth of research, he shows how, long ago, the narrowness of the newly bipedal human femaleandrsquo;s pelvis and the increasing size of infantsandrsquo; 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 than ensure our existence; they imbued women with the concept of time, and gave them control over sexandmdash;a power that males sought to reclaim. And the possibility of achieving immortality through heirs drove men to construct patriarchal cultures that went on to dominate so much of human history.
From the nature of courtship to the evolution of language, Shlainandrsquo;s brilliant and wide-ranging exploration stimulates new thinking about very old matters.
Synopsis
As in the bestsellingand#160;The Alphabet Versus the Goddess, Leonard Shlainandrsquo;s provocative new book promises to change the way readers view themselves and where they came from.
Sex, Time, and Power offers a tantalizing answer to an age-old question: Why did big-brained Homo sapiens suddenly emerge some 150,000 years ago? The key, according to Shlain, is female sexuality. Drawing on an awesome breadth of research, he shows how, long ago, the narrowness of the newly bipedal human femaleandrsquo;s pelvis and the increasing size of infantsandrsquo; 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 than ensure our existence; they imbued women with the concept of time, and gave them control over sexandmdash;a power that males sought to reclaim. And the possibility of achieving immortality through heirs drove men to construct patriarchal cultures that went on to dominate so much of human history.
From the nature of courtship to the evolution of language, Shlainandrsquo;s brilliant and wide-ranging exploration stimulates new thinking about very old matters.
About the Author
Leonard Shlain is the author of Art and Physics: Parallel Visions in Space, Time and Light, and The Alphabet Versus the Goddess: The Conflict Between Word and Image. He is the chief of laparoscopic surgery at California Medical Center in San Francisco.
Table of Contents
Preface: Iron/Sex
Acknowledgments
Part I: Iron, Sex, and Women
1. Unknown Mother/African Eve
2. Big Brain/Narrow Pelvis
3. Red Blood/White Milk
4. Plant Iron/Meat Iron
5. Gyna Sapiens/Gyna All-the-Others
6. Periods/Perils
7. Her Climax/His Climax
8. Grandmothers/Circumcision
Part II: Iron, Sex, and Men
9. Prey/Predator
10. Carnivory/Vegetarianism
11. Menarche/Mustaches
12. Premenstrual Tension/Masturbatory Tension
Part III: Sex and Time
13. Moon/Menses
14. Woo/I Do
15. Anima/Animus
16. Gay/Lesbian
17. Same Sex/Hermaphrodite
Part IV: Death and Paternity
18. Mortality/Angst
19. Superstition/Laughter
20. Father/Mother
21. Incest/Dowries
22. Wife/Husband
Part V: Men and Women
23. Misogyny/Patriarchy
24. Unknown Mother/African Eve/Modern Woman
Epilogue
Notes
Bibliography
Illustration Credits
Index
Preface: Iron/Sex
Acknowledgments
Part I: Iron, Sex, and Women
1. Unknown Mother/African Eve
2. Big Brain/Narrow Pelvis
3. Red Blood/White Milk
4. Plant Iron/Meat Iron
5. Gyna Sapiens/Gyna All-the-Others
6. Periods/Perils
7. Her Climax/His Climax
8. Grandmothers/Circumcision
Part II: Iron, Sex, and Men
9. Prey/Predator
10. Carnivory/Vegetarianism
11. Menarche/Mustaches
12. Premenstrual Tension/Masturbatory Tension
Part III: Sex and Time
13. Moon/Menses
14. Woo/I Do
15. Anima/Animus
16. Gay/Lesbian
17. Same Sex/Hermaphrodite
Part IV: Death and Paternity
18. Mortality/Angst
19. Superstition/Laughter
20. Father/Mother
21. Incest/Dowries
22. Wife/Husband
Part V: Men and Women
23. Misogyny/Patriarchy
24. Unknown Mother/African Eve/Modern Woman
Epilogue
Notes
Bibliography
Illustration Credits
Index
No clear and compelling explanation currently exists for the sudden emergence of big-brained Homo sapiens 150,000 years ago. Here, Leonard Shlain proposes an original thesis that argues that profound changes in female sexuality hold the key to this mystery.
According to Shlain, bipedalism, narrow pelvises, and enormous fetal heads precipitated a crisis for our species. Mothers faced a grave death threat in childbirth. To compensate, women lost estrus and its urgency to copulate, but gained veto power over sex. Drastic reconfiguration of their reproductive cycle, particularly the new feature of heavy menses, allowed women to discover the dimension of time and with it the insight that sex caused pregnancy. Men used foresight to become the planet's most dangerous predator but they suffered terror when they learned they were doomed to die. Inventing religions and afterlives to ameliorate the knowledge of death, men then learned the part they played in impregnation. The concept of paternity drove men to create patriarchal cultures designed to control women's reproductive choice. But the insights, first discovered by women, also created the conditions for two people to love each other more deeply and longer than any other animal.
Throughout Sex, Time, and Power, Shlain offers carefully reasoned and certain to be controversial discussions on subjects such as menses, orgasm, masturbation, menopause, circumcision, male aggression, the evolution of language, homosexuality, and the origin of marriage. Written in a lively and accessible style, Sex, Time, and Power is certain to generate heated debate in the media and among readers interested in human evolution and the history of sexuality. Preface: Iron/Sex
Acknowledgments
Part I: Iron, Sex, and Women
1. Unknown Mother/African Eve
2. Big Brain/Narrow Pelvis
3. Red Blood/White Milk
4. Plant Iron/Meat Iron
5. Gyna Sapiens/Gyna All-the-Others
6. Periods/Perils
7. Her Climax/His Climax
8. Grandmothers/Circumcision
Part II: Iron, Sex, and Men
9. Prey/Predator
10. Carnivory/Vegetarianism
11. Menarche/Mustaches
12. Premenstrual Tension/Masturbatory Tension
Part III: Sex and Time
13. Moon/Menses
14. Woo/I Do
15. Anima/Animus
16. Gay/Lesbian
17. Same Sex/Hermaphrodite
Part IV: Death and Paternity
18. Mortality/Angst
19. Superstition/Laughter
20. Father/Mother
21. Incest/Dowries
22. Wife/Husband
Part V: Men and Women
23. Misogyny/Patriarchy
24. Unknown Mother/African Eve/Modern Woman
Epilogue
Notes
Bibliography
Illustration Credits
Index
No clear and compelling explanation currently exists for the sudden emergence of big-brained Homo sapiens 150,000 years ago. Here, Leonard Shlain proposes an original thesis that argues that profound changes in female sexuality hold the key to this mystery.
According to Shlain, bipedalism, narrow pelvises, and enormous fetal heads precipitated a crisis for our species. Mothers faced a grave death threat in childbirth. To compensate, women lost estrus and its urgency to copulate, but gained veto power over sex. Drastic reconfiguration of their reproductive cycle, particularly the new feature of heavy menses, allowed women to discover the dimension of time and with it the insight that sex caused pregnancy. Men used foresight to become the planet's most dangerous predator but they suffered terror when they learned they were doomed to die. Inventing religions and afterlives to ameliorate the knowledge of death, men then learned the part they played in impregnation. The concept of paternity drove men to create patriarchal cultures designed to control women's reproductive choice. But the insights, first discovered by women, also created the conditions for two people to love each other more deeply and longer than any other animal.
Throughout Sex, Time, and Power, Shlain offers carefully reasoned and certain to be controversial discussions on subjects such as menses, orgasm, masturbation, menopause, circumcision, male aggression, the evolution of language, homosexuality, and the origin of marriage. Written in a lively and accessible style, Sex, Time, and Power is certain to generate heated debate in the media and among readers interested in human evolution and the history of sexuality. Preface: Iron/Sex
Acknowledgments
Part I: Iron, Sex, and Women
1. Unknown Mother/African Eve
2. Big Brain/Narrow Pelvis
3. Red Blood/White Milk
4. Plant Iron/Meat Iron
5. Gyna Sapiens/Gyna All-the-Others
6. Periods/Perils
7. Her Climax/His Climax
8. Grandmothers/Circumcision
Part II: Iron, Sex, and Men
9. Prey/Predator
10. Carnivory/Vegetarianism
11. Menarche/Mustaches
12. Premenstrual Tension/Masturbatory Tension
Part III: Sex and Time
13. Moon/Menses
14. Woo/I Do
15. Anima/Animus
16. Gay/Lesbian
17. Same Sex/Hermaphrodite
Part IV: Death and Paternity
18. Mortality/Angst
19. Superstition/Laughter
20. Father/Mother
21. Incest/Dowries
22. Wife/Husband
Part V: Men and Women
23. Misogyny/Patriarchy
24. Unknown Mother/African Eve/Modern Woman
Epilogue
Notes
Bibliography
Illustration Credits
Index