Why Men Won"t Ask for Directions (ebook)

Argumento de Why Men Won"t Ask for Directions (ebook)

"In Why Men Won't Ask for Directions, Richard C. Francis suggests that physiological explanations of behavior--about how brains work--are often more informative than accounts of why the behavior evolved. . . . Francis is at his best when explaining physiological processes: his explanations are clear, straightforward, and step by step. . . . The descriptions Francis offers of animals and their behavior are vivid."--Deborah M. Gordon, Natural History

"An incisive and witty critique of the methodologies of sociobiology and its most current manifestation, evolutionary psychology. . . . Francis supports his engaging and well-reasoned arguments with examples from research. . . . [He] does not deny that adaptation can be a very powerful explanatory concept, as long as it is not used dogmatically. Instead, he offers increased options for a better understanding of behavior through considering organisms in their social, evolutionary, and neurobiological contexts."--Library Journal

"Interesting, engagingly written, and important. Francis is rightfully attacking the theological/ideological basis of adaptationist thinking."--James L. Gould, Princeton University

"A synthesis of the latest advances in the behavior, physiology and ecology of sociosexual behaviors, Francis's book focuses primarily on animals, but also develops and critiques the history and present state of how this material has been applied (and misapplied) to the human condition. There are no books quite like this, and the general reader will be enlightened and enlivened."--David P. Crews, University of Texas0List of Illustrations ix
Acknowledgments xi
Chapter 1
Darwinian Paranoia 1
Chapter 2
An Orgasm of One's Own 10
Chapter 3
Sex without SEX 19
Chapter 4
Transgendered 36
Chapter 5
Alternative Lifestyles 51
Chapter 6
Social Inhibitions 75
Chapter 7
Why Does the Mockingbird Mock? 102
Chapter 8
Brain Ecology 124
Chapter 9
Why Men Won't Ask for Directions 150
Chapter 10
A Textbook Case of Penis Envy? 175
Chapter 11
Darwin's Temptress 192
Notes 201
Bibliography 257
Index 311