Sex and War by Malcolm Potts and Thomas Hayden
As news of war and terror dominate the headlines, scientist Malcolm Potts and veteran journalist Thomas Hayden take a step back to explain it why the world seems to be an increasingly dangerous place. Sex and War asks the basic questions: Why is war so fundamental to our species? And what can we do about it?
From the frontlines as a firsthand witness to war-torn countries around the world, Potts has worked with ministries and governments and in the trenches with women who have been raped and brutalized as an instrument of war. Combining his personal experience with the latest scientific findings, Potts explains that men have evolved under conditions that favored gang behavior, violence and team aggression, and observations of chimpanzee behavior confirm that these actions have been fundamental for millions of years.
In a world that spends $950 billion, there is hope. Females do not show the same inherent tendency toward violence and, instead, have evolved to favor negotiation and interpersonal bonds. Integrating women as full members of society is our best chance of shaping a more peaceful and stable world as we move further into the 21st century.
Sex and War combines startling scientific findings in primate behavior, anthropology, genetics and human evolution with fascinating personal stories and historical anecdotes. For anyone interested in the cycle of violence we are living in, or interested in the nature of mankind, Sex and War will be an illuminating work that will change how they see the world.
