Free Forum with Terrence McNally Free Forum Q&A w/ CHRISTOPHER RYAN - SEX AT DAWN: How We Mate, Why We Stray, and What It Means for Modern Relationships (co-author, Cacilda Jethá)
Apr 29, 2013
51:33
Aired: 04/28/13
Are human beings monogamous by nature? While granting our tendency to slip, most commentators and scientists seem to believe we are. According to the conventional wisdom, it is in the interests of a woman to keep a male as a protector/provider, and in the interests of a man to provide only for his own children.
In the best-selling book, SEX AT DAWN, CHRISTOPHER RYAN and co-author Cacilda Jethá aim to answer the question, "What is the essence of human sexuality and how did it get to be that way?" They contend that, "Cultural shifts that began about ten thousand years ago rendered the true story of human sexuality so subversive and threatening that for centuries it has been silenced by religious authorities, pathologized by physicians, studiously ignored by scientists, and covered up by moralizing therapists."
What is that true story? According to Ryan and Jetha, first, "We didn't descend from apes. We are apes." They liken us most to bonobos. Further, "human beings evolved in intimate groups where almost everything was shared - food, shelter, protection, child care, even sexual pleasure."
Needless to say, their attempt to overturn the accepted narrative on such a hot topic as sex has led to controversy. RYAN joins me this week to explore these questions.
Are human beings monogamous by nature? While granting our tendency to slip, most commentators and scientists seem to believe we are. According to the conventional wisdom, it is in the interests of a woman to keep a male as a protector/provider, and in the interests of a man to provide only for his own children.
In the best-selling book, SEX AT DAWN, CHRISTOPHER RYAN and co-author Cacilda Jethá aim to answer the question, "What is the essence of human sexuality and how did it get to be that way?" They contend that, "Cultural shifts that began about ten thousand years ago rendered the true story of human sexuality so subversive and threatening that for centuries it has been silenced by religious authorities, pathologized by physicians, studiously ignored by scientists, and covered up by moralizing therapists."
What is that true story? According to Ryan and Jetha, first, "We didn't descend from apes. We are apes." They liken us most to bonobos. Further, "human beings evolved in intimate groups where almost everything was shared - food, shelter, protection, child care, even sexual pleasure."
Needless to say, their attempt to overturn the accepted narrative on such a hot topic as sex has led to controversy. RYAN joins me this week to explore these questions.