Demonic Males: Apes and the Origins of Human Violence - Hardcover

Wrangham, Richard; Peterson, Dale

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0395690013 ISBN 13: 9780395690017

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1996

Synopsis

The author draws on the latest discoveries about human evolution to examine whether violence among men is a product of their primitive heritage, and searches for solutions to the perennial problems of war, rape, and murder.

About this title

Review:

If you harbor a sneaking suspicion that men are a herd of ignoble savages, then this book is for you. Authors Wrangham and Peterson will confirm your instincts. It turns out that hyperviolent social behavior is deeply rooted in male human genes and common among our closest male primate relatives. Rapes, beatings and killings are as much a part of life among the great apes as they are among us. The authors try to conclude on some upbeat notes that ring hollow, but their science reveals much about the dark side of human nature.

About the Author:

Dale Peterson is the coauthor with Jane Goodall of Visions of Caliban (a New York Times Notable Book and a Library Journal Best Book) and the editor of her two books of letters, Africa in My Blood and Beyond Innocence. His other books include The Deluge and the Ark, Chimpanzee Travels, Storyville USA, Eating Apes, and (with Richard Wrangham) Demonic Males. They have been distinguished as an Economist Best Book, a Discover Top Science Book, a Bloomsbury Review Editor's Favorite, a Village Voice Best Book, and a finalist for the PEN New England Award and the Sir Peter Kent Conservation Book Prize in England. He resides in Massachusetts.

About this edition

• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0395690013
• ISBN 13: 9780395690017
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 350