Is There Anything Good About Men?
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| |||||||||||||||
 Trade In this Item for up to £4.00
Get an extra £5 when you trade in books worth £10 or more until June 30, 2012. Trade in Is There Anything Good About Men?: How Cultures Flourish by Exploiting Men for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £4.00, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Find more products eligible for trade-in.
|
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
Product Description
Review
"[Baumeister] does make the fascinating point that men operate at the extremes, socially and biologically." --Bitch
'Male readers may find some solace in Roy F. Baumeister's "Is There Anything Good About Men?" Mr. Baumeister is less concerned about the wimpification of modern man than about the degree to which men have been historically "exploited." The very cultures that men have built, he says, have considered males more expendable than women... But men, Mr. Baumeister says, are often taken for granted and denigrated as the bane of female existence, with some gender activist insisting that women would be better off without them. In a feisty rejoinder, Mr. Baumeister says that "'if women really would have been happier without men, they would have set up shop on their own long ago."
--Dave Shiflett, Wall Street Journal
"Read this if you're open to a thought-provoking take on so-called battle of the sexes. Packed with counterintuitive but convincing points, the book will reshape how you think about sexism, feminism, and gender differences." Andrea Bartz, Psychology Todayl
"There are some interesting arguments concerning marriage, procreation, and the creation of culture that students and professionals in the field of evolutionary psychology probably
would be interested in discussing further." -- Elin Weiss, Sex Roles
Product Description
Have men really been engaged in a centuries-old conspiracy to exploit and oppress women? Have the essential differences between men and women really been erased? Have men now become unnecessary? Are they good for anything at all? In Is There Anything Good About Men?, Roy Baumeister offers provocative answers to these and many other questions about the current state of manhood in America. Baumeister argues that relations between men and women are now and have always been more cooperative than antagonistic, that men and women are different in basic ways, and that successful cultures capitalize on these differences to outperform rival cultures. Amongst our ancestors---as with many other species--only the alpha males were able to reproduce, leading them to take more risks and to exhibit more aggressive and protective behaviors than women, whose evolutionary strategies required a different set of behaviors. Whereas women favor and excel at one-to-one intimate relationships, men compete with one another and build larger organizations and social networks from which culture grows. But cultures in turn exploit men by insisting that their role is to achieve and produce, to provide for others, and if necessary to sacrifice themselves. Baumeister shows that while men have greatly benefited from the culture they have created, they have also suffered because of it. Men may dominate the upper echelons of business and politics, but far more men than women die in work-related accidents, are incarcerated, or are killed in battle--facts nearly always left out of current gender debates. Engagingly written, brilliantly argued, and based on evidence from a wide range of disciplines, Is There Anything Good About Men? offers a new and far more balanced view of gender relations.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Sociologist Roy F. Baumeister just might convince ardent feminists with his fascinating, well-researched and deftly written book about the bum rap men receive simply for doing what their culture wants and needs them to do. Baumeister relies on research and his own theories to describe how men created the culture that sustains and advances society. He makes an intriguing argument, filled with examples that support his hypothesis, which might make it go down a little easier for women, particularly when they learn that men are expendable. Still, many women - and maybe some men - likely will bristle at his thesis that females have contributed little to creating culture through the ages. Baumeister boldly states his opinion without taking himself, and feminists, too seriously. getAbstract suggests this book to managers interested in understanding gender inequities and differences. Just be prepared for some fallout around the office if you start using this as your guidebook.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
10 reviews
22 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Baumeister's evidence based analysis of men, culture and gender
12 Nov 2010
Format:Hardcover
This book is possibly one of the most important for men (and women) in the last 50 years of the so-called gender debate. As one of the world's leading psychologists, Baumeister takes an open and inquiring approach into many of the myths and poses the question "are there alternate explanations here?" and in doing so, debunks almost every feminist 'anti-male' myth.
However, this is not a book which is anti-female, if anything, it cleverly explains that we need both genders, and that we both serve different purposes and roles from a cultural perspective. It also dissects the apparent drive (mainly in the US) demanding that men to be more like women, which thankfully, is also debunked. We do not need men to be more like women, nor women to be more like men.
For example, Baumeister illustrates that men have great interpersonal relationship skills (which is not what the feminists claim), and that men use these in a larger social setting, whereas women have great interpersonal skills and tend to use these in more intimate 1:1 setings. Men are considered as more 'expendable' by society, are not treated equally in the workplace, in risky occupations etc...... some real eye openers in this book.
This will challenge your thinking, and is a welcome fresh perspective. Possibly the first book in the gender space to be unbiased, evidence based, and thought provoking. Highly recommended.
However, this is not a book which is anti-female, if anything, it cleverly explains that we need both genders, and that we both serve different purposes and roles from a cultural perspective. It also dissects the apparent drive (mainly in the US) demanding that men to be more like women, which thankfully, is also debunked. We do not need men to be more like women, nor women to be more like men.
For example, Baumeister illustrates that men have great interpersonal relationship skills (which is not what the feminists claim), and that men use these in a larger social setting, whereas women have great interpersonal skills and tend to use these in more intimate 1:1 setings. Men are considered as more 'expendable' by society, are not treated equally in the workplace, in risky occupations etc...... some real eye openers in this book.
This will challenge your thinking, and is a welcome fresh perspective. Possibly the first book in the gender space to be unbiased, evidence based, and thought provoking. Highly recommended.
43 of 57 people found the following review helpful
Outstanding - Deserves to be Widely Read
29 Aug 2010
Format:Hardcover
I read a ton of books and very rarely review any. Since there are no reviews of this book, I feel compelled to write one.
This book is unique in that it focuses less on any innate talent differences between men and women and more on innate and cultural motivational differences. Frankly I think the author underplays the talent differences at the high end, but it matters little to the thesis of the book.
In my mind this is a brilliant and courageous book that offers a radically different viewpoint of gender differences. It is very fair and very balanced although feminists will obviously see it as something different because it is impossible for them to view men as good for anything. You won't see this book promoted anywhere in the mass media or on Oprah. It will never be a best seller because it doesn't hate men.
This book is very well argued and a refreshing addition to the marketplace of ideas. Congratulations and thank you to Dr. Baumeister.
This book is unique in that it focuses less on any innate talent differences between men and women and more on innate and cultural motivational differences. Frankly I think the author underplays the talent differences at the high end, but it matters little to the thesis of the book.
In my mind this is a brilliant and courageous book that offers a radically different viewpoint of gender differences. It is very fair and very balanced although feminists will obviously see it as something different because it is impossible for them to view men as good for anything. You won't see this book promoted anywhere in the mass media or on Oprah. It will never be a best seller because it doesn't hate men.
This book is very well argued and a refreshing addition to the marketplace of ideas. Congratulations and thank you to Dr. Baumeister.
16 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Is there anything good about this book?
6 Nov 2010
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
That question is easy to answer: yes! This book is an incisive, extended essay about gender differences and the role the play in our society, with positions that are backed up by a great deal of research, done both by the author and others. It also serves as an essay on the perceptions of gender in our culture, particularly among well-educated people. Until reading this book, I never realized how much misinformation about gender is widely accepted. For instance, the fact that the average male sex drive is stronger than the average female sex drive is obvious to many people (and can be proved, as the author points out), and yet textbooks and scholarly writing on sexuality and gender assert that there is no difference at all (or that women have a stronger sex drive), and this mis-perception is commonly promoted and repeated.
The beautiful thing about this book is that it is, for the most part, remarkably unbiased. As a social scientist, the author knows how to interpret data and describe its implications while avoiding value judgments. He points out where implications are clear-cut but multifaceted, and also points out where there are multiple possible causes or effects. Nonetheless, this is destined to be a controversial book. Some of the points in this book support some out-of-fashion traditional beliefs on gender. Others novel beliefs that are at simply at odds with what educated people are supposed to think. And while the author himself steers away from advocating any specific course of action, it is easy to imagine people reading more into his analyses that is actually there, due the charged nature of the topic. I have many close, well-educated female friends, and I would be reluctant to bring up the information in this book in conversation with most of them -- the topic just seems too sensitive, regardless of how fascinating the information is or how open-minded my female friends claim to be.
Criticisms: Although this book is very unbiased, relative to popular writing on gender, there are a couple cases where the author could have gone even further out of his way to avoid potential claims of bias. Using the word "progress" in the context of culture is always a bit dangerous -- it's uses in this book could have been replaced by a less value-oriented description (although probably at the expense of being much more verbose). Also, the author's notion that cultures "want" things is a bit slippery -- it can have slightly different shades of meaning, some of which would allow the author to embed value judgments, although I did not feel it was abused for that purpose in this book. Some parts of this book were a bit redundant, but the number of insightful comments more than compensated for this fact.
I purchased the Kindle edition. There are a few typographical errors related to missing or extra spaces between letters, which is unfortunate. However, it does have a fully functioning index with links, which was a pleasant surprise.
The beautiful thing about this book is that it is, for the most part, remarkably unbiased. As a social scientist, the author knows how to interpret data and describe its implications while avoiding value judgments. He points out where implications are clear-cut but multifaceted, and also points out where there are multiple possible causes or effects. Nonetheless, this is destined to be a controversial book. Some of the points in this book support some out-of-fashion traditional beliefs on gender. Others novel beliefs that are at simply at odds with what educated people are supposed to think. And while the author himself steers away from advocating any specific course of action, it is easy to imagine people reading more into his analyses that is actually there, due the charged nature of the topic. I have many close, well-educated female friends, and I would be reluctant to bring up the information in this book in conversation with most of them -- the topic just seems too sensitive, regardless of how fascinating the information is or how open-minded my female friends claim to be.
Criticisms: Although this book is very unbiased, relative to popular writing on gender, there are a couple cases where the author could have gone even further out of his way to avoid potential claims of bias. Using the word "progress" in the context of culture is always a bit dangerous -- it's uses in this book could have been replaced by a less value-oriented description (although probably at the expense of being much more verbose). Also, the author's notion that cultures "want" things is a bit slippery -- it can have slightly different shades of meaning, some of which would allow the author to embed value judgments, although I did not feel it was abused for that purpose in this book. Some parts of this book were a bit redundant, but the number of insightful comments more than compensated for this fact.
I purchased the Kindle edition. There are a few typographical errors related to missing or extra spaces between letters, which is unfortunate. However, it does have a fully functioning index with links, which was a pleasant surprise.
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Health, Family & Lifestyle > Psychology & Psychiatry > Applied Psychology > Clinical Psychology
- Books > Health, Family & Lifestyle > Psychology & Psychiatry > Social & Developmental Psychology > Social
- Books > Society, Politics & Philosophy > Social Sciences > Anthropology > Social & Cultural
- Books > Society, Politics & Philosophy > Social Sciences > Gender Studies > Men
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
