The War of the Sexes

How Conflict and Cooperation Have Shaped Men and Women from Prehistory to the Present

Nonfiction, Science & Nature, Science, Biological Sciences, Evolution, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Anthropology
Cover of the book The War of the Sexes by Paul Seabright, Princeton University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Paul Seabright ISBN: 9781400841608
Publisher: Princeton University Press Publication: April 9, 2012
Imprint: Princeton University Press Language: English
Author: Paul Seabright
ISBN: 9781400841608
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Publication: April 9, 2012
Imprint: Princeton University Press
Language: English

As countless love songs, movies, and self-help books attest, men and women have long sought different things. The result? Seemingly inevitable conflict. Yet we belong to the most cooperative species on the planet. Isn't there a way we can use this capacity to achieve greater harmony and equality between the sexes? In The War of the Sexes, Paul Seabright argues that there is--but first we must understand how the tension between conflict and cooperation developed in our remote evolutionary past, how it shaped the modern world, and how it still holds us back, both at home and at work.

Drawing on biology, sociology, anthropology, and economics, Seabright shows that conflict between the sexes is, paradoxically, the product of cooperation. The evolutionary niche--the long dependent childhood--carved out by our ancestors requires the highest level of cooperative talent. But it also gives couples more to fight about. Men and women became experts at influencing one another to achieve their cooperative ends, but also became trapped in strategies of manipulation and deception in pursuit of sex and partnership. In early societies, economic conditions moved the balance of power in favor of men, as they cornered scarce resources for use in the sexual bargain. Today, conditions have changed beyond recognition, yet inequalities between men and women persist, as the brains, talents, and preferences we inherited from our ancestors struggle to deal with the unpredictable forces unleashed by the modern information economy.

Men and women today have an unprecedented opportunity to achieve equal power and respect. But we need to understand the mixed inheritance of conflict and cooperation left to us by our primate ancestors if we are finally to escape their legacy.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

As countless love songs, movies, and self-help books attest, men and women have long sought different things. The result? Seemingly inevitable conflict. Yet we belong to the most cooperative species on the planet. Isn't there a way we can use this capacity to achieve greater harmony and equality between the sexes? In The War of the Sexes, Paul Seabright argues that there is--but first we must understand how the tension between conflict and cooperation developed in our remote evolutionary past, how it shaped the modern world, and how it still holds us back, both at home and at work.

Drawing on biology, sociology, anthropology, and economics, Seabright shows that conflict between the sexes is, paradoxically, the product of cooperation. The evolutionary niche--the long dependent childhood--carved out by our ancestors requires the highest level of cooperative talent. But it also gives couples more to fight about. Men and women became experts at influencing one another to achieve their cooperative ends, but also became trapped in strategies of manipulation and deception in pursuit of sex and partnership. In early societies, economic conditions moved the balance of power in favor of men, as they cornered scarce resources for use in the sexual bargain. Today, conditions have changed beyond recognition, yet inequalities between men and women persist, as the brains, talents, and preferences we inherited from our ancestors struggle to deal with the unpredictable forces unleashed by the modern information economy.

Men and women today have an unprecedented opportunity to achieve equal power and respect. But we need to understand the mixed inheritance of conflict and cooperation left to us by our primate ancestors if we are finally to escape their legacy.

More books from Princeton University Press

Cover of the book Democratic Legitimacy by Paul Seabright
Cover of the book The Irresistible Fairy Tale by Paul Seabright
Cover of the book Poverty Knowledge by Paul Seabright
Cover of the book The Reasons of Love by Paul Seabright
Cover of the book No Shadow of a Doubt by Paul Seabright
Cover of the book Collected Works of C.G. Jung, Volume 11 by Paul Seabright
Cover of the book Elementary Particle Physics in a Nutshell by Paul Seabright
Cover of the book The Many and the One by Paul Seabright
Cover of the book A Wealth of Numbers by Paul Seabright
Cover of the book Enlightening Symbols by Paul Seabright
Cover of the book A Century of Genocide by Paul Seabright
Cover of the book Athenian Economy and Society by Paul Seabright
Cover of the book Jews, Germans, and Allies by Paul Seabright
Cover of the book Quantum Mechanics in a Nutshell by Paul Seabright
Cover of the book Mathematical Modeling of Earth's Dynamical Systems by Paul Seabright
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy