Demonic Males
Demonic Males
Demonic Males is an intriguing, fast-paced novel which explores the roots of evolution through which we, humans have evolved. The authors convey this book in a way that pulls you in right through the start by addressing the aggressive behaviors that have been passed down from our ancestors the great ape, to the males in our society. Demonic Males was an incising and factual story which you learn not only about how apes evolved, their mating habits, social systems, female coalitions, etc., have changed throughout time but also how closely related we truly are to these amazing creatures. Richard Wrangham and Dale Peterson, the authors catch readers off guard by telling stories of humans encounters with gorillas, chimpanzees, orangutans, etc., which keep you wanting to flip onto the next page throughout the entire novel. And so as a reader you may ask yourself, why did evolution choose violence? Why is violence seen as necessary to become dominant amongst a group? “ You will be killed!” the man at the Burundian embassy in Kampala said, in a bizarrely cheerful voice, as he stamped out visas,” (1). This first sentence begs us readers to ask the question of is the man being literal about death or just striking our authors egos down, because he knows they are going in for research amongst our very aggressive cousins? This sense of killing though is the main focus throughout the novel. Looking for answers to the history of human violence, Richard and Dale traveled to Africa to explore the deep origins through which this trait has seemed to persevere 5 to 6 million years. Aggression amongst males whether it be in war, rape, riots, emotional abuse, or even just a simple push on the playground by a young boy to another, the history of male aggression has been apart of our evolutionary ties for millions of years. In the first part of the book, readers get to see first hand the real life of chimpanzees. Their lives are organized around male-bonded and
Demonic Males is an intriguing, fast-paced novel which explores the roots of evolution through which we, humans have evolved. The authors convey this book in a way that pulls you in right through the start by addressing the aggressive behaviors that have been passed down from our ancestors the great ape, to the males in our society. Demonic Males was an incising and factual story which you learn not only about how apes evolved, their mating habits, social systems, female coalitions, etc., have changed throughout time but also how closely related we truly are to these amazing creatures. Richard Wrangham and Dale Peterson, the authors catch readers off guard by telling stories of humans encounters with gorillas, chimpanzees, orangutans, etc., which keep you wanting to flip onto the next page throughout the entire novel. And so as a reader you may ask yourself, why did evolution choose violence? Why is violence seen as necessary to become dominant amongst a group? “ You will be killed!” the man at the Burundian embassy in Kampala said, in a bizarrely cheerful voice, as he stamped out visas,” (1). This first sentence begs us readers to ask the question of is the man being literal about death or just striking our authors egos down, because he knows they are going in for research amongst our very aggressive cousins? This sense of killing though is the main focus throughout the novel. Looking for answers to the history of human violence, Richard and Dale traveled to Africa to explore the deep origins through which this trait has seemed to persevere 5 to 6 million years. Aggression amongst males whether it be in war, rape, riots, emotional abuse, or even just a simple push on the playground by a young boy to another, the history of male aggression has been apart of our evolutionary ties for millions of years. In the first part of the book, readers get to see first hand the real life of chimpanzees. Their lives are organized around male-bonded and