The Dark Side of Man - (Helix Books) by Michael P Ghiglieri & Joshua Bilmes (Paperback)

About the Book

A riveting look at the scientific roots of male violence.

Book Synopsis

In The Dark Side of Man, Michael Ghiglieri, a biologist and protege of Jane Goodall, takes on one of the most highly charged debates in modern science: the biological roots of bad behavior. Beginning with rape, and moving on to murder, war, and genocide, Ghiglieri offers the most up-to-date, comprehensive look at the male proclivity for violence. In a strong narrative voice, he draws on the latest research and his own personal experiences -- both as a primatologist and as a soldier -- to explain that male violence is largely innate, a product of millions of years of evolution. In the process, he debunks many of our most clung-to, "politically correct" notions: that the differences between men and women are strictly due to socialization, that rape is really about power -- not sex -- and that genocide is only possible with a single madman at the helm. Well-argued, evenhanded, yet never dull, this important book illuminates the darkest impulses of the male psyche, and suggests ways for modern society to curb them.

About the Author

Michael Ghiglierireceived his Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis, and is currently Associate Profesor of Anthropology at the University of Northern Arizona. He is the author of East of the Mountain of the Moon: Chimpanzee Society in the African Rain Forest (Free Press, 1988), The Chimpanzees of Kibale Forest: A Field Study of Ecology and Social Structure (Columbia University Press, 1984), and Canyon (University of Arizona Press, 1992).