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Title: Mystery Dance: On the Evolution of Human Sexuality by Lynn Margulis, Dorion Sagan ISBN: 0-671-79226-1 Publisher: Touchstone Books Pub. Date: September, 1992 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $12.00

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Average Customer Rating: 3 (1 review)

Rating: 3
Summary: We are who and what we were
Comment: This book is a very mixed bag. It is based on two different concepts: psychoanalysis (Freud) and evolution (Darwin).

For the author, psychoanalysis is not a pseudo-science, but a real method for scientific research. All 'psycho' experiments can in all circumstances be corroborated. This is plain nonsense. Psychoanalysis is not a science, but that doesn't mean that it is without substance, as literature is not without substance.
Lynn Margulis accepts nearly all parts of Freud's theory, and cites without criticism the post-Freudians Lacan (for him, Freud is much more important than Darwin!) and Derrida. Their ridiculous semiotic open (!) texts are a magisterial example of what Jean Fourastie called 'conceptual deliriums', e.g. Lacan's definition of one of the basic elements of his theory, the phallus. One must read it, to believe the plain nonsense of his concepts.
For a severe criticism of Freud, I recommend 'The Memory Wars' by Frederick Crews.

The evolutionary part is better, although it contains a lot of 'ifs' and is more or less a compilation of and comments on citations of others, like S.J. Gould, D. Morris and G.C. Williams.
I prefer the works of Robin Baker, G.C. Williams, or even the 'Darwinian' part of Steven Pinker's 'How the mind works'.

A plus point is the humoristic style (e.g., how God made a lot of mistakes when he created man in his own image) and the popular treatment of a long time taboo subject.
Newcomers will still learn a lot about sex and penises.