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Title: The Dark Side of Man: Tracing the Origins of Violence by Michael P. Ghiglieri ISBN: 0-7382-0076-X Publisher: Perseus Publishing Pub. Date: 01 April, 1999 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $26.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4 (15 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: A well written, thought provoking look at violence
Comment: I highly recommend this objective, scientifically-grounded look at male violence. The book is filled with fascinating examples, anticdotes and statistics to support the author's hypothesis which often conflicts with society's traditional view of violence. Additionally, Dr. Ghiglieri's writing style is clear, concise and entertaining.
This book is a must read for anyone with a curious mind and desire to be part of a better future.
Rating: 4
Summary: Worthwhile in spite of being unbalanced
Comment: Overall, I think this book is very worthwhile because it does help put human violence into some perspective in nature. "Dark Side" features a reasonably convincing argument that some fundamental kinds of violence persist because they served survival needs in our evolutionary past. That is, violence toward each other is not something that humans invented or which we lapse into solely because we weren't spanked enough as children. Orangutans commit rape, male porpoises gang up on females to block her escape and inseminate her, chimps conduct territorial raids and even wage war. Reading this book, you get the feeling that you can make a little more sense out of the latest headlines about "senseless" violence.
The imbalance of this view comes in because the theme of the book focuses on the roots of violent behavior, and ignores both the equally compelling evidence for altruistic behavior in nature and the evidence of human capacity to regulate their own behavior in various ways, rather than responding in a stereotyped way to impulses.
Another weakness is that the book relates animal and human violence in an overly simplistic way at times, such as equating Orangutan rape with human rape. The motives, opportunities, and circumstances of human violence appear far more varied than among animals in these kinds of crimes. It's easy to believe that the thinking and feeling patterns that lead to violent behavior are much more elaborate and have many more variables than in the animals examined by the author. The comparison of the violent acts of the different species can only go so far.
People who really like this may also enjoy the similar but more comprehensive and more scholarly (i.e. more difficult to read) "Demonic Males:Apes and the Origins of Human Violence" by Richard Wrangham and Dale Peterson.
Rating: 1
Summary: not a nice way to hundle evolutionary biology.
Comment: I
This book says that biology is solid science.Really?
Social biology ,ebolutionary biology,evolutionary psychology are very fragile science and have been abused for sexism,racism biological determinism,etc
And if one theory has the ring of the truth,it is possible to assert that that is truth,by using every fragile logic,biased indirect evidence .and the atmosphere(I myself have done so).
And considering such facts ,Scientists have to be humble.
But History repeats itself.
I'm not surprised that his theory sounds plausible to people who don't know the field well.I myself feel so about guns.
His tactic goes like this
When there are good data,he uses them perfectly and says a is --%,b is --% etc.And he doesnft note what unbiased people usually note.And maybe he doesnft know the field he looked down.
When there are controversial data or theories,he uses the part of data what are convenient for him( if he wants 'crime is not casused by the poor environment,'he sites only criminal's son tend to be a criminal ,and ignores the fact that criminal's son became criminal much less frequently when brought up by normal family.or goes like 'most authority agree with that'.or something like that.
And when there are obvious unconvinient facts ,data,construals or whatever ,he ignores that ,masks that.and instead uses ,illogical thinkings,personal quotations,and rare cases.and atmosphere.
For example,men kill men for pride and women love such dangerous,with low intelligence,and wanton vilonent guys.And it is an adoptation.according to him.
If men kill men, he earns the reputation that he is violent and he robs the resource easily when in need.And as an evidence he cites Yanomamo tribe's case or mafia and a woman who was attracted by the mafia.He uses this logic again and again,some rich men also do rape ,so most men...some rich men also do kill ,so most men...Yanomamo tribe and mafia are so,so most men...
But with evolutionary logic anyone can conclude opposite theory.
As he says , ,in evolutionary history,men act in union and if he breaks the harmony,he gets the penalty(this holds true to most societies.).Or maybe gets the revenge.violent?so what ? human got the equalizer(the authority also says eequalizerf put the leader in different position) .Or maybe he was excluded from the community.
And so how about women? according to the social psychology's experiment,when men are picked a fight by another man,this kind of violent reaction was very unpopular to women.
and if you teachs women that one man is criminal his appearance appeal became lower.And criminal type face was unpopular to women.
And what kind of men ,do women hate most?according to Bass's reserch all over the world he also quoted,typical killer type men ,violent ,low inteligence and can't constrain him,is one of the worst types.You're surprised? but not so surprised if you think well.
And the time that physical power counts much ends before the age of 10 in our world.
So typical killing was not adopted action ,or say worst action .So ?what happened ?human evolves the frontal cortex and among many of the human's brains high noble abilities (which are all very pppular to women,men,human and as a result are chosen),'brake is included .and no matter men became angry ,normal men don't kill and in a well contorolled society ,to meet a killer is hundreds times more difficult than many obviously unadopted actions.
And as a whole Killers have problems in frontal cortex and mineral balance.Which indicate they just couldn't express the abilities they have in themselves and not completely non problem guys as he try to indicate.
And to solve the problem ,we have to fully blossom our noble abilities,not eeye for eyef.
Ob course this is also very biased.
But this is evolutionary biology.I can fabricate another theories if his tactic is allowed.
He said one friend pointed out 1000 places to correct.. But still there were another 1000 to improve.Itfs not an exaggeration.I was tired to read this because of this.
And I reccomend to all the readers that they don't swallow all the stories written in this book.Though some of them are interesting ,They may be just his personal briefs,or ideologies..What kind of ideology he has ,I donft have to say..
Though I canft say his theories(or maybe any other theories) were definitely wrong.The fact that he has to use assertive ways again and again indicats his were in many cases unlikely.
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Title: Demonic Males : Apes and the Origins of Human Violence by Dale Peterson, Richard Wrangham ISBN: 0395877431 Publisher: Mariner Books Pub. Date: 14 November, 1997 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title: Biology of Violence: How Understanding the Brain, Behavior, and Environment Can Break the Vicious Circle of Aggression by Debra Niehoff ISBN: 0743237765 Publisher: Free Press Pub. Date: 01 January, 2002 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature by Steven Pinker ISBN: 0670031518 Publisher: Penguin Putnam Pub. Date: 26 September, 2002 List Price(USD): $27.95 |
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Title: A Natural History of Rape: Biological Bases of Sexual Coercion by Randy Thornhill ISBN: 0262700832 Publisher: Bradford Book Pub. Date: 01 May, 2001 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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Title: The Tangled Wing: Biological Constraints on the Human Spirit by Melvin Konner ISBN: 0805072799 Publisher: Owl Books (NY) Pub. Date: 01 February, 2003 List Price(USD): $20.00 |
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