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Mystery Dance: On the Evolution of Human Sexuality
Explores the complex factors and long line of "ancestors" that have contributed to human sexuality and human sexual behavior
Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
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About the author
Lynn Margulis
84 books206 followersLynn Margulis (1938-2011) was a Professor of Geosciences at the University of Massachusetts, a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 3, 2023
Fantàstic! Margulis -i Sagan- no deceben. Aquest llibre té un fort component de biopaleoantropologia i de biologia: basant-se en les restes dels nostres avantpassats evolutius -Australopithecus, Erectus- i emprant la seva particular visió de l'evolució i articulant-la amb el feminisme, recrea les condicions que han portat a establir institucions de manteniment de la monogàmia i l'heterosexualitat. Parla també de la dominació masculina, la competència i selecció sexuals... i evidentment, de sexe bacterià i reptilià.
January 25, 2015
This book held my interest so much that I read it in two sessions, something I don't do as much as I did in youth. However, as a family member pointed out, the title has all the fun things: evolution, human, sexuality, mystery, dance. Mystery Dance is written by Lynn Margulis and Dorion Sagan. Dorion is the son of Lynn Margulis and Carl Sagan, a mother and son collaboration.
Before I review this book, I have to say how I found Margulis and this book. I had been interested in a debate about neo-Darwinism's selfish gene between Denis Noble, Chair of Physiology at Oxford, and Richard Dawkins. The crux of the debate--to me--is the amount of causal emphasis of the evolutionary process at the gene or phenotype level. Margulis' contribution to this debate is her theory of symbiogenesis. Symbiogenesis, basically, suggests that the cells of living reproductive organisms developed and merged as a product of symbiotic relationships between separate organisms. A fascinating theory that can be seen throughout the Mystery Dance.
Even though Mystery Dance was very enjoyable, I am only giving it four stars. The style was a little...well irritating. I think the authors were trying to write in a style that mimicked the chaotic and multidimensional topic. They try to wrap in human language and words into this style. There is a whole chapter that discusses the mammalian mental mapping. It hypothesizes how the mammalian mental map developed through an extended nocturnal phase when mammals were primarily auditory, and how this contributed to human language. It was fascinating; however, this was too much of a tangent away from human sexual evolution for me.
The Mystery Dance was still a great book with insightful and enjoyable analysis.
The female of the human species has developed--unique in the animal kingdom--traits to hide ovulation: permanent development of ovulation characteristics like breasts, the loss of oestrus, and even cognitive tendencies like wearing cosmetics and high heels. Given the soft-wiring of the human brain and the significant amount of time and energy required to raise human children, the need for male help in child rearing is obvious. Do these ovulation hiding traits indicate a need to override the pre-homosapien male's interest only during ovulation--to maintain interest throughout child rearing?
Another unique trait analyzed is the strong characteristics of pre and post copulation competition in humans. Physical and behavioural traits for copulation usually focus on weeding out males before copulation or competition after copulation with multi-male partners? Other primates have pre or post copulation tendencies. Humans have very strong traits for BOTH pre and post copulation competition. The Mystery Dance analyzes the potential reasons for this.
Humans and mammals have also retained the R-complex forebrain from our synapsid (lizard) ancestors. Why have we retained this and what does it mean for human behaviour and sexuality? The R-complex has been mapped through studies to have a connection to the characteristics of racism, war, and rape. These are evolutionary cheaters. A group of a mammal species with weaker DNA traits will define the other (xenophobia), cull out the stronger DNA males, and force reproduction. Like most parasitic characteristics, they hold a lower tendency and have been culled through evolution, but the question is why they still remain and what they says about civilization.
An enjoyable book. A little strange in style with much conjecture and little citation. However, it is still a must read!
Before I review this book, I have to say how I found Margulis and this book. I had been interested in a debate about neo-Darwinism's selfish gene between Denis Noble, Chair of Physiology at Oxford, and Richard Dawkins. The crux of the debate--to me--is the amount of causal emphasis of the evolutionary process at the gene or phenotype level. Margulis' contribution to this debate is her theory of symbiogenesis. Symbiogenesis, basically, suggests that the cells of living reproductive organisms developed and merged as a product of symbiotic relationships between separate organisms. A fascinating theory that can be seen throughout the Mystery Dance.
Even though Mystery Dance was very enjoyable, I am only giving it four stars. The style was a little...well irritating. I think the authors were trying to write in a style that mimicked the chaotic and multidimensional topic. They try to wrap in human language and words into this style. There is a whole chapter that discusses the mammalian mental mapping. It hypothesizes how the mammalian mental map developed through an extended nocturnal phase when mammals were primarily auditory, and how this contributed to human language. It was fascinating; however, this was too much of a tangent away from human sexual evolution for me.
The Mystery Dance was still a great book with insightful and enjoyable analysis.
The female of the human species has developed--unique in the animal kingdom--traits to hide ovulation: permanent development of ovulation characteristics like breasts, the loss of oestrus, and even cognitive tendencies like wearing cosmetics and high heels. Given the soft-wiring of the human brain and the significant amount of time and energy required to raise human children, the need for male help in child rearing is obvious. Do these ovulation hiding traits indicate a need to override the pre-homosapien male's interest only during ovulation--to maintain interest throughout child rearing?
Another unique trait analyzed is the strong characteristics of pre and post copulation competition in humans. Physical and behavioural traits for copulation usually focus on weeding out males before copulation or competition after copulation with multi-male partners? Other primates have pre or post copulation tendencies. Humans have very strong traits for BOTH pre and post copulation competition. The Mystery Dance analyzes the potential reasons for this.
Humans and mammals have also retained the R-complex forebrain from our synapsid (lizard) ancestors. Why have we retained this and what does it mean for human behaviour and sexuality? The R-complex has been mapped through studies to have a connection to the characteristics of racism, war, and rape. These are evolutionary cheaters. A group of a mammal species with weaker DNA traits will define the other (xenophobia), cull out the stronger DNA males, and force reproduction. Like most parasitic characteristics, they hold a lower tendency and have been culled through evolution, but the question is why they still remain and what they says about civilization.
An enjoyable book. A little strange in style with much conjecture and little citation. However, it is still a must read!
December 3, 2020
mother&son duo margulis and sagan trace sex backwards though evolutionary history. each chapter begins with the description of a genderfluid shapeshifting exotic dancer embodying different stages of the evolution of sex in a "mystery dance". this bizarre literary device definitely gets the reader in the right frame of mind. each chapter is full to the brim and goes in a million directions at once but as it progresses the layers are stripped away.
not an amazing read overall. i was particularly unimpressed with margulis' wimpy critique of sociobiology. she was too willing to hang on to just-so stories that worked in the context of this book. still there are enough tidbits here and there to make it worthwhile. the strongest chapter is probably the last where the stripper has become a puddle of protists. here the imagination is put to good use and there aren't one million tangents about psychoanalysis.
not an amazing read overall. i was particularly unimpressed with margulis' wimpy critique of sociobiology. she was too willing to hang on to just-so stories that worked in the context of this book. still there are enough tidbits here and there to make it worthwhile. the strongest chapter is probably the last where the stripper has become a puddle of protists. here the imagination is put to good use and there aren't one million tangents about psychoanalysis.
January 3, 2026
There is probably no way in which I can review this better than Dawkins in Nature (1991).
See Here - it is reprinted in Books Do Furnish a Life: Reading and Writing Science.
If you received this as a Christmas present at Christmas 1991, my sympathies.
See Here - it is reprinted in Books Do Furnish a Life: Reading and Writing Science.
If you received this as a Christmas present at Christmas 1991, my sympathies.
April 1, 2024
La Danza Misteriosa construye un relato de la biologia evolutiva a partir de una narrativa metafórica y, en cierta esencia, poética. Plantea ciertas reflexiones, algunas de ellas contrastadas científicamente, pero otras las cuales pueden generar cierto debate en el seno de la cuestión mas sociológica del desarrollo humano.
January 30, 2022
This book was decent. There was a lot more biological information about animals, which I know are related to humans. I guess I was searching more about more modern sexuality. I skimmed the last half but learned some good things in the process!
February 16, 2024
Lynn is the goat. Can't wait to read more of her stuff.
March 16, 2008
SOmetime it gets boring, but the whole idea of take off human civilization's clothes to explain its evolution "backwards" is very interesting.
Algunas veces se torna aburrido, pera la idea de irle quitando la ropa al ser humano para explicar su evolucion de adelante hacia atras, es muy interesante.
Algunas veces se torna aburrido, pera la idea de irle quitando la ropa al ser humano para explicar su evolucion de adelante hacia atras, es muy interesante.
July 13, 2012
Have read this many, many times. Very, very interesting.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews