The Red Queen
Ratings10
Average rating4.1
Sex is as fascinating to scientists as it is to the rest of us. A vast pool of knowledge, therefore, has been gleaned from research into the nature of sex, from the contentious problem of why the wasteful reproductive process exists at all, to how individuals choose their mates and what traits they find attractive. This fascinating book explores those findings, and their implications for the sexual behaviour of our own species. It uses the Red Queen from ‘Alice in Wonderland’ – who has to run at full speed to stay where she is – as a metaphor for a whole range of sexual behaviours. The book was shortlisted for the 1994 Rhone-Poulenc Prize for Science Books. ‘Animals and plants evolved sex to fend off parasitic infection. Now look where it has got us. Men want BMWs, power and money in order to pair-bond with women who are blonde, youthful and narrow-waisted ... a brilliant examination of the scientific debates on the hows and whys of sex and evolution’ Independent.
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I really enjoyed this book, it has the perfect balance between science facts and storytelling. I think it is a book everyone should read, we all live in a sexual world and it is sex what has shaped our modern society, not by itself but by every other aspect it is interlaced with.
I should point out that I disagree deeply with some of the reasoning and theories in this book, and in general, think most arguments surrounding biological determinism are misguided (if not downright dangerous) but, I do think Ridley raises some good counterarguments to prevailing “nurture-only” arguments that currently prevail societally and warrant consideration and debate.
That said, I think his early sections on “Why sex?” and “Why sexes?” are infinitely better than when he starts to foray into what I think is mostly a survey and weaker thinking on human nature being defined by sex and feels he cherry-picks overly to support his case.
So, strangely, I think he fails in his premise, explaining human nature through sex and evolution, but does a really interesting job building the cases for sexual reproduction and the existence of genders.
Worth the read, but should be read very critically.
