The Passionate Ape [Paperback]

Craig Hagstrom (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 5, 2001

The Passionate Ape depicts human sexual and emotional evolution, within the framework of the Aquatic Ape Hypothesis. It discusses loss of automatic female orgasms and the compensating evolution of passion, and traces the effects this new emotion might have on an otherwise unremarkable ape.

Editorial Reviews

Review

... radical new model for human evolution, giving obsessive love a larger role ... book is a breathtaking mental tour -- Prescott Daily Courier, April 8, 2001

From the Author

You'll find a synopsis, chapter outline, and excerpts. There are also links to discussion groups for The Passionate Ape, the Aquatic Ape Hypothesis in general, and other areas of interest. Totally unrelated to apes and/or evolution, other subjects at the site include a smattering of electronics and computer programming (my day job, which it's a bit soon to quit).

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: RiverForest Press (April 5, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0970262655
• ISBN-13: 978-0970262653
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,488,453 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent speculation on the Aquatic Ape Theory, April 27, 2001

By 

Joseph H Pierre "Joe Pierre" (Salem, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Passionate Ape (Paperback)

This is an excellent speculation on the Aquatic Ape Theory which for several years has been expounded by Elaine Morgan, in her books, "The Aquatic Ape Hypothesis" and "Scars of Evolution," both of which I have reviewed here.

I first became interested in the theory when Desmond Morris mentioned it, in his book, "The Naked Ape," although he treated it lightly and seemed to favor the theory that our early pre-hominid ancestors dropped from the receding African arboreal environment onto the savannah and took off running, shedding their fur as they ran in order to cool off. The so-called "Savannah Theory."

A couple of things bothered me about that theory: bipedal running, which the theory postulated, is far less efficient than quadrupedal locomotion. The fastest land animals on earth are quadrupeds and they are all covered with fur. It didn't make sense. Also, humans have a subcutaneous layer of fat, which contributes not only warmth but also flotation, and we are unique among the primates in that regard. That would have been the first thing to go, rather than fur, if cooling was the desired evolutionary result. Evolution follows the same path, generally, in similar species, in order to accomplish a given result.

Hagstrom has carried Elaine Morgan's hypothesis further, though. He speculates on the causes of human monogamy, male facial hair, and the placement of sex organs, etc. Much of it is certainly speculation, but his deductions seem reasonable.

If you are interested in the subject of human evolution, this is a book that you should certainly have in your library, along with those by Desmond Morris, Robert Ardrey, and, last but certainly not least, Elaine Morgan.

Joseph H. Pierre

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Major Paradigm Shift, December 10, 2001

By 

Kari M. Marchant (Encinitas, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Passionate Ape (Paperback)

I just can't believe how complete, and completely accurate this book's theses feel. My life, my history, my talents, my experiences, my gifts, and also my dark side are dramatically illuminated and explained by the research and theory of this remarkable book. Every page resonated with crystal clear tones of truth in my very soul.

This book just may be the Rosetta Stone for relationships we didn't realize we needed. One of the most earth shattering revelations in the last 100 years, he does for anthropology, evolution and psychology what the theory of plate tectonics did for geology and the continental drift theory. This should lead to directly to a Unified Field Theory of Marriage if it doesn't qualify as such outright.

This is a MUST READ for any interested, scientifically minded person interested in human relationships. I literally could not put the book down carrying it about for three days until I finished it. Mainstream archaeologists are probably going to ignore it entirely rather than debate it.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A set of alternative viewpoints on sex and evolution, July 4, 2001

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Passionate Ape (Paperback)

Craig Hagstrom's Passionate Ape provides a set of alternative viewpoints on sex and evolution, arguing that face-to-face sex destroyed easy female orgasms, courting difficulties have led to both aesthetic growth and child abuse, and love's birth is related to addiction. Enjoy many eye-opening insights into how humans evolved and avoided extinction in the process in this intriguing title.