26
26
26
a mbition: their ultimate goal is to reproduce--and in the process, to
overrun this world.
Despite the opinions of Montaigne, Rousseau, and their
contemporary followers, modern civilization is not the generator of
violence. Nor is brutality limited to the "patriarchal" male. The creator
of human savagery is nature, who works her ways through brain
segments bequeathed to both men and women by our animal
ancestors. Ironically, it is female aggression that gives the greatest clue
as to why nature has found conflict so indispensable. Creatures of
every species fight for the privilege of procreation. They battle to
immortalize the replicators at their core.
No wonder the wives of ancient emperors and high-ranking
ladies of the gorilla clan have been out to corner the world for their
children. No wonder Greek heroes, Yanomamo warriors, and
rampaging Romans have risked their lives in the hunt for new wombs
to sow. Every time a sperm and egg spew a fresh creature into the
world, the victor is a gene.
<< < GO > >>
26
26
26
a mbition: their ultimate goal is to reproduce--and in the process, to
overrun this world.
Despite the opinions of Montaigne, Rousseau, and their
contemporary followers, modern civilization is not the generator of
violence. Nor is brutality limited to the "patriarchal" male. The creator
of human savagery is nature, who works her ways through brain
segments bequeathed to both men and women by our animal
ancestors. Ironically, it is female aggression that gives the greatest clue
as to why nature has found conflict so indispensable. Creatures of
every species fight for the privilege of procreation. They battle to
immortalize the replicators at their core.
No wonder the wives of ancient emperors and high-ranking
ladies of the gorilla clan have been out to corner the world for their
children. No wonder Greek heroes, Yanomamo warriors, and
rampaging Romans have risked their lives in the hunt for new wombs
to sow. Every time a sperm and egg spew a fresh creature into the
world, the victor is a gene.
<< < GO > >>