The Descent of Woman: The Classic Study of Evolution [Paperback]

Elaine Morgan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2001

This pioneering work, originally published in 1972, was the first to argue irrefutably the equal role of women in human evolution.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Elaine Morgan is the author of The Aquatic Ape.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Souvenir Press; Revised edition edition (February 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0285627007
• ISBN-13: 978-0285627000
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #224,893 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars And Now for Something Completely Different...., October 4, 2002

By 

Peter Messerschmidt "denmarkguy" (Port Townsend, WA, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Descent of Woman: The Classic Study of Evolution (Paperback)

I found Elaine Morgan's "The Descent of Woman" to provide some highly interesting concepts to think about, and I have no doubt that her outsider "alternative" view of evolution caused a considerable uproar in the scientific community when the book was first published in 1972.

At the core of Morgan's theory is the idea that women played an equal (or possibly superior) role in human evolution, and were NOT just submissive second-class childbearers while the "strong and brave hunter men" ("Tarzanists") were shaping the evolution of the species. In presenting her case, Morgan draws heavily on the Aquatic Ape Theory (first presented by Sir Alister Hardy in the 1920's) for explanations of how humans moved from the trees to walking upright, how they became hairless, the development of speech, and the physiological factors that make us radically different from other primates.

The book doesn't portray the male half of humanity in a very favorable light-- which, in itself, I don't really have a problem with. However, the tone of the writing sometimes crosses the line from scientific to slightly condescending and "preachy," and in doing so, the work perhaps loses a bit of credibility from a scientific standpoint-- almost as if the author couldn't quite decide between "Science" and "Feminism." Nonetheless, Morgan should be commended for questioning male-centric evolutionary theories put forth by a historically male-dominated scientific community, and readers should not lose sight of the fact that she is more of an "outsider" than a member of the "establishment."

I am not sure if the designation "Classic Study of Evolution" is deserved-- the core CONCEPTS were somewhat revolutionary at the original time of publishing, but the actual presentation tastes more of "pseudoscience" than hard science. At the end of the book, I felt that I had been presented with a very interesting (and plausible) POSSIBILITY, but without being CONVINCED that This Is How It Is. That, of course, is just my OPINION-- I am not a scientist.

Overall rating: Recommended (7 bookmarks out of a possible 10). Women readers will feel good/vindicated; open-minded men will hopefully feel somewhat enlightened. The writing style is eloquent, at times humorous, at times somewhat dry and scholarly. A well-developed is vocabulary recommended!

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More difinitive than Desmond Morris "The Naked Ape", June 19, 1998

By 

D. Stutzke ([e-mail]) (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Descent of Woman: The Classic Study of Evolution (Paperback)

In 1980 I bought this book thinking it was a feminist tract but once I began to read I was entranced and thoroughly enjoyed her writing. Her "new" theory of evolution began with her reading of Morris' book and his mention of Sir Alister Hardy's idea that somewhere along the line our ancestors spent a great deal of time in an aquatic environment. I had read that information in Desmond's book but unlike Ms. Morgan, I didn't put much weight on it until I read her book. She covers every facet of evolution that no one can explain by "Man the Great Hunter" theory. Her explaination of everything from our nose (so different than the other "great apes") to our power of speech (do hunters really yell while they are stalking prey?) are covered in this book. I highly recommend this book (The Descent of Woman) even if you aren't into anthropology because Elaine Morgan is a witty and thorough writer. Her next book, "The Aquatic Ape", covers the response to "The Descent of Woman" but it's out of print.I wish they would re-issue the second book (The Aquatic Ape) because in it professionals in various disciplines (geology, biology, anthropology, etc.) found places that could have been the origination of our very aquatic species.

27 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars has some problems, November 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Descent of Woman: The Classic Study of Evolution (Paperback)

I really haven't paid any attention to evolutionary debates and whether the Aquatic Ape Theory is accepted or debunked or whether something else has risen to takes its place. However, I am left with the impression that the author has constructed a straw man to argue against and some of her claims and lines of argument are bothersome. She makes several claims that I am pretty sure are false: that only humans aggress against other humans, that only humans rape, that only humans have homosexuality and that this is because of the "lack of aim" engendered by the movement of the vagina. In her discussion of orgasm she is curiously silent on how other aquatic mammals deal with this movement of the vagina -- despite using them to bolster her argument in almost every other area. She makes the point that male primates don't initiate sex unless the female gives off certain signals but then later on claims that it was only male's continued rape in the absence of these signals that kept the human race going. She seems to want to have it both ways. Also her arguments about the rise of face-to-face sex don't address the fact that humans are still capable of performing in a variety of other positions when they feel like it with no apparent affect on rates of procreation.

In short, I think the first few chapters of her book are interesting and intriguing. Once she hits the chapters of orgasm and love I began to feel less convinced by her arguments. On the whole it was not an entirely convincing book because of the straw man feel she gives to her opponents but she certainly advances an interesting idea.