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Why are men, like other primate males, usually the aggressors and risk-takers? Why do women typically have fewer sexual partners? In Why Sex Matters, Bobbi Low ranges from ancient Rome to modern America, from the Amazon to the Arctic, and from single-celled organisms to international politics, to show that these and many other questions about human behavior largely come down to evolution and sex. More precisely, as she shows in this uniquely comprehensive and accessible survey of behavioral and evolutionary ecology, they come down to the basic principle that all organisms evolved to maximize their reproductive success and seek resources to do so, but that sometimes cooperation and collaboration are the most effective ways to succeed.
This newly revised edition has been thoroughly updated to include the latest research and reflect exciting changes in the field, including how our evolutionary past continues to affect our ecological present.
Bobbi S. Low is professor of conservation ecology at the School of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Michigan, where she is also a faculty associate at several centers within the Institute for Social Research. She is coauthor of An Introduction to Methods and Models in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, among other books, and is the recipient of undergraduate and graduate teaching awards.
Reviews from the first edition:
"Low marshals a compelling array of Darwinian arguments to bolster the importance of biological sex in everyday human interaction [...] The breadth of materials which Low musters to support her argument plumbs every nook and cranny of human and animal existence [...] Her analysis remains readable and provocative to the end [...] "
– Kirkus Reviews
"A useful survey of what is known about behavioral sex differences in animals and humans, covering biology, anthropology, sociology and history. It is clear and informative."
– Colin McGinn, The New York Times Book Review
"An excellent [...] analysis of the most fundamental aspects of human life – sex, violence, power – through an evolutionary lens."
– Cathy Young, Detroit News
"A comprehensive survey of behavioral and evolutionary ecology [...] Why Sex Matters should interest a broad range of readers because it attempts to explain human nature."
– Choice
"A very thorough review of the current state of the art human behavioral biology."
– Craig B. Stanford, American Scientist
"An excellent example of how evolutionary theory can be applied to human behavior without hyperbole."
– Ian Penton-Voak, Times Higher Education Supplement
"Deftly written [...] A very thorough review of the current state of the art of human behavioral biology."
– Craig B. Stanford, American Scientist
"A broad-ranging and well-researched look at the way biology continues to affect men and women."
– Sally Squires, Washington Post Book World
"Low makes clear why sex matters. Indeed, her book makes clear why a human sociobiology matters. Why Sex Matters matters."
– Jeffrey A. Kurland, American Journal of Human Biology
"A compelling and comprehensive synthesis of what is known (and not known) about the evolutionary basis for complex behaviors in humans and other species. Low clearly and convincingly explains [...] why sex matters."
– Robert Costanza, BioScience
