Evolution’s Rainbow

Diversity, Gender, and Sexuality in Nature and People, with a New Preface

De: Joan Roughgarden

Narrado por: Carrington MacDuffie

In this innovative celebration of diversity and affirmation of individuality in animals and humans, Joan Roughgarden challenges accepted wisdom about gender identity and sexual orientation. A distinguished evolutionary biologist, Roughgarden takes on the medical establishment, the Bible, social science--and even Darwin himself. She leads the reader through a fascinating discussion of diversity in gender and sexuality among fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals, including primates. Evolution's Rainbow explains how this diversity develops from the action of genes and hormones and how people come to differ from each other in all aspects of body and behavior. Roughgarden reconstructs primary science in light of feminist, gay, and transgender criticism and redefines our understanding of sex, gender, and sexuality. A new preface shows how this witty, playful, and daring book has revolutionized our understanding of sexuality.

©2004 Joan Roughgarden (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Thank you.

I wish I had had this book at 13. It would have saved me and my family a lot of heartache. Thank you.

a new view of animals bodies and behaviours

interesting book, well researched by a competent author. this book dispels myth about the rigidity of gender and sex behaviour and expression in non human animals. I find myself thinking of it often and reccomending it to others.

A Great New Take on an Old Topic

Is gender dimorphic? Like most Americans, that is my culture taught me. Like most biologists, that is exactly what I have been taught since my first classes. Dr. Roughgarden challenges this core assumption made by most of us. Extraordinary claims that go against the conventional norms require extraordinary arguments, and Dr. Roughgarden provides a wealth of evidence for just such arguments. She makes an excellent case for the presence of multiple genders in many species, including one species of isopod that has three distinct morphological types that we lump together as biologically "male." In some species, these different sexual types can succeed in the reproduction game, and how partnerships between morphotypes can improve their reproductive chances, allowing members of a pair to father more eggs than either could alone.

I found the most intriguing sections to be the chapters on mimicry. We have assumed that males that look like females to us can also fool "dominant" males or females. Roughgarden points out that we have not demonstrated that the "alpha" males are fooled, or that they "mimic" has tapped into a fixed action pattern. Without such proof, another viable explanation is that a territorial alpha accepts the presence of the beta male because his presence benefits the alpha. The sneaker male may also not really be sneaking. His presence could be sought by females for a number of reasons that the author discusses in detail.

I consider the weakest argument in the book to be her argument against sexual selection. I believe that she defines sexual selection too narrowly and that the interpretation usually used by most ethologists today could include most aspects of her cooperation model.

Despite my disagreement on this one point, she makes a good case that we need to re-examine our assumptions about sexual competition. Once we allow for more than one successful way of expressing sexuality, then we open the door to the possibility that other modes of sexual interactions, beyond hoarding eggs, can lead to reproductive success.

Eye Opening, Personally Helpful

Sometimes getting the facts and scientific backing gives one all the confidence needed to come out. I can't thank Joan Roughgarden enough for her personal quest and sharing of her work to enlighten and educate. I just wish everyone could read this book and garner this knowledge.

Essential Reading for All Humans

This book is a ringing, scientifically rigorous, and quite readable statement of where we go when we "Follow the science" on sex and gender diversity. It's powerful and should be considered carefully by everyone, full stop. Everyone.