Sunday, August 7, 2011

Making Love, Not War....Would It Really Change Everything?

I just finished reading Sex at Dawn written by Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jetha  It took me a while, only because I stopped a few times to read other less heavy books, like Unbroken.  Okay...I guess Unbroken is pretty heavy but it was a much easier read...I mean if you can tolerate that kind of stuff.  Great book by the way.

So back to Sex at Dawn and my thoughts on this book which is about the evolution of sex and how it effects our society today.  Totally awesome book....again...if you can tolerate this kind of stuff.  It is chocked full of info that makes you stop and say hmmmmmm.  But, I warn you, it may rub some people the wrong way.  It will challenge pretty much everything you think you know about sex, marriage, infidelity and society.

Other than an overall sense of "Wow...this is cool stuff", a few things stood out for me.  Mind you, I have a horrible memory and tend not to remember any details...about anything (just ask my husband how many times he has to tell me which Salsa to get him at Baja Fresh... and I still get him the wrong one every time).  But every once in a while a few useless facts will stick.

Our closest ancestors
1.  Our DNA is closer to that of the Bonobo Monkeys than the DNA of an African Elephant is to that of an Asian Elephant.  This fascinates me.  Bonobo Monkeys, by nature, are polyamourous. 

2.  When a woman is taking birth control pills her innate ability to chose a genetically fit male is effected.  Apparently we are genetically engineered to choose men who have different MHC then us, thus optimizing the fitness of our children (this somehow increases the child's range of immunity).  While on the pill women tend not to choose such men, sometimes even choosing men who have the same MHC which could predispose their children to significant health risks.  The implications of this are mind boggling in so many ways! How has the birth control pill effected our evolution?  Do we really have free will, or is it all an illusion?

3. Some theorize that survival for the fittest actually occurs on a cellular level.  Basically, the sperm that makes it to the egg wins and each female is engineered to allow different sperm to win. The interesting piece is that it is presumed that the sperm is not all from the same male.

4.  In sexually polyamourous societies males have no way of knowing which children are theirs, thus they treat all children as if they were theirs.  Children are raised and accepted by everyone.  Imagine this for a moment in the context of a little league game where Dads are posturing on behalf of their boys. 

5.  In these societies there is little aggression, no famine, no poverty, fewer chronic health conditions and no infidelity.

Basically, the authors are theorizing that if we just gave into our biologically driven desire to have sex, with anyone, or at least more than one person at any given time we would be a much happier society.  But alas....we have evolved so far from this concept that it would take thousands of years to make it work. 

Can you imagine waking up one day and suggesting to your partner..."hey hon why don't you go out and have sex with whomever you want...just be home in time for dinner."

Here is a comprehensive review of the book.

Would love to hear your thoughts.

 

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