Quantity:

More Buying Choices

15 used & new from �13.09

Have one to sell? Sell yours here

Search inside another edition of this book

A Natural History of Rape: Biological Bases of Sexual Coercion (Bradford Books) (Paperback)

by R Thornhill (Author) "By one intuitive and relevant definition, rape is copulation resisted to the best of the victim's ability unless such resistance would probably result in death..." (more)

2.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

RRP:	�17.95
Price:	�17.05 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
You Save:	�0.90 (5%)
	o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

In stock.
Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk. Gift-wrap available.

Only 3 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

Want guaranteed delivery by Wednesday, November 11? Choose Express delivery at checkout. See Details

11 new from �13.71 4 used from �13.09

Other Editions:	RRP:	Our Price:	Other Offers:
Hardcover			12 used & new from �11.06

Frequently Bought Together

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Evolution, Gender and Rape

by CB Travis

�19.90

Rape: A History from 1860 to the Present

by Joanna Bourke

�9.06

The Science of Good and Evil: Why People Cheat, Gossip, Care, Share, and Follow the Golden Rule

by Michael Shermer

�9.81

The Mating Mind: How Sexual Choice Shaped Human Nature

by Geoffrey Miller

4.7 out of 5 stars (11) �7.12

The Stuff of Thought:: Language as a Window into Human Nature (Penguin Press Science)

by Steven Pinker

4.1 out of 5 stars (9) �6.97

› Explore similar items

Product details

Paperback: 269 pages
Publisher: MIT Press; New edition edition (20 Jun 2001)
Language English
ISBN-10: 0262700832
ISBN-13: 978-0262700832
Product Dimensions: 21.8 x 13.6 x 1.8 cm

Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 667,452 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
Popular in these categories:
#78 in Books > Scientific, Technical & Medical > Biology > Human Biology > Evolution
#92 in Books > Health, Family & Lifestyle > Women's Health & Lifestyle > Violence against Women

Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

In the past three decades the notion that rape is a crime of misogynistic violence rather than of misguided lust has gone from being a cutting-edge feminist theory to being an accepted criminological fact. So widespread and pervasive is this view of rape, accepted by politicians, judges and educators alike, to challenge it is to risk academic ostracism.

Now two American biologists, Randy Thornhill and Craig Palmer, have risked precisely that. Their carefully weighed thesis is that rape is not the culturally learned behaviour of conditioned woman-haters, rather it is a Darwinian adaptation, an instinctive behaviourism typical of males (of many species) seeking to mate and propagate with otherwise unavailable fertile young females. In other words, rape IS sexual.

Predictably, this theory has caused outrage. Feminist lawyers says it gives rapists a "genetic excuse"; feminist academics say it ignores male-on-male rape, and rape of non-fertile females. In response to such expected critiques Thornhill and Palmer have adduced a persuasive mass of evidence from fields as diverse as zoology, psychology and haute couture. And the facts are truly curious. Did you know that women dress more skimpily during ovulation?

This is not a flawless text. It is too reductive. The writing is thick with scientific jargon: you should know the meanings of 'morphological' and 'phenotype' before you start. And sometimes the book becomes a bit of a rant against the "closed minds" of its politically correct opponents. But maybe that is to quibble too much: this is still an exhilarating and exciting book; it is also a very courageous attempt to throw some scientific light on a treacherously murky subject. --Sean Thomas --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"This is a courageous, intelligent, and eye-opening book with a noble goal - to understand and eliminate a loathsome crime. Armed with logic and copious data, Thornhill and Palmer will force many intellectuals to decide which they value more: established dogma and ideology, or the welfare of real women in the real world." - Steven Pinker, Professor of Psychology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and author of How the Mind Works and Words and Rules"

See all Product Description

Inside This Book (Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.

First Sentence
By one intuitive and relevant definition, rape is copulation resisted to the best of the victim's ability unless such resistance would probably result in death or serious injury to the victim or in death or injury to individuals the victim commonly protects. Read the first page

Explore More
Concordance

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)

tucson

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	94% buy the item featured on this page: A Natural History of Rape: Biological Bases of Sexual Coercion (Bradford Books) 2.8 out of 5 stars (5) �17.05
	5% buy Rape: A History from 1860 to the Present �9.06
	2% buy How the Mind Works (Penguin Press Science) 3.5 out of 5 stars (22) �6.47

Explore similar items

Customer Reviews

5 Reviews

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

Average Customer Review

2.8 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)

Share your thoughts with other customers:

Create your own review

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It is not what you think, 14 Jan 2005

By	Dr. J. H. Woods "amazon6678" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It is hard to believe that the first reviewer read this rather dry, but nontheless thought-provoking book. The authors are at pains to discredit the 'naturalistic fallacy' --- that a behaviour or trait should be considered 'morally' good just because it may have been increased or augmented through the entirely amoral process of natural selection.

On the contrary, rape is a horrific crime --- and the authors explain why it is so horrific. But trying to prevent or reduce rape whilst we accept --- without rational argument --- the 'social sciences position', that rape is all about power and nothing to do with sex, is doomed to failure.

Any reasonable person can see that this book does not justify rape (Nothing can --- not even the Marquis de Sade). I would say that a man reading this book would if anything, be less likely to use any form of sexual coercion, and more ashamed of having done so. I suspect this book comes closer than any other to suggesting positive action that we could take to reduce the expression of part of our evolved biology in this most hideous form. Texts based on ideology, however, cannot help us: our genes came from natural, not political selection.

If you are looking for a sexual thrill, a justification for unacceptable behaviour, if you cannot stand to have your ideas challenged, or even if you are not interested in reading academic books --- leave this well alone. Otherwise read it.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

2 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Evolutionary Biology strikes again., 30 Oct 2000

By	kar488@hotmail.com (Sweden) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Natural History of Rape: Biological Bases of Sexual Coercion (Hardcover)

Being a string believer in Evolutionary Biology, I recommend this book to anyone who are interested in answering the "Why" of things.

The authors go in depth as to describing why evolutionary biology has been used as a approach to describe Rape and compare it other works on the subject (sometimes a bit too ostentatious though).

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

3 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dogma downed, 26 Oct 2003

By A Customer

If when you finish reading this book you start wondering why you hear the word rape every week but you almost never hear the word cuckold you're on the road to understanding one of the late 20th Century's most malicious deceipts.
This book exposes an important truth. It will be ignored and suppressed. Help prevent that happening by reading it.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 5 customer reviews...

Most Recent Customer Reviews

1.0 out of 5 stars I really recommend this book...
I highly recommend this book if your looking to justify sick and twisted minds and cause even more trauma to people who have been rapped. Read more

Published on 22 Mar 2007 by Sarah

1.0 out of 5 stars unsurprisingly disappointing
a must-read for rapists eager to explicate themselves. i first heard of this book when a man who had been accused and acquitted (as more than 90% of those accused of rape are) of... Read more

Published on 9 Dec 2003 by Dog in a Flat Cap

› See all 5 customer reviews...

.jsOffDisplayBlock { display: block; } .jsOffDisplayInline { display: inline; } .jsOffVisibility { visibility: visible; } .jsOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jsOnDisplayNoneBlock { display: block; } .jsOnDisplayNoneInline { display: inline; } .jsOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jsOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; } .jqOnDisplayBlock { display: none; } .jqOnDisplayInline { display: none; } .jqOnVisibility { visibility: hidden; } .jqOnDisplayNoneBlock { display: block; } .jqOnDisplayNoneInline { display: inline; }

Customer Discussions

This product's forum

Discussion	Replies	Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight

Active discussions in related forums

Discussion	Replies	Latest Post
politics Would it be so bad if we let Europe run the UK	9	1 hour ago
politics Special relationship America and Britain	5	21 hours ago
politics This is Politics?????	36	1 day ago
politics what happened to the BNP discussion	124	2 days ago
politics Which is better a charismatic leader or the right policies?	9	2 days ago
politics Cast Iron promise - Cameron	4	2 days ago
politics English Democrats Party - Our last chance saloon?	55	2 days ago