#books ## Title: The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature --- ### Author: Matt Ridley #### Rating: 4/5 #### Date: 2019/07/01 ## Review --- In so far as I can tell, there are two ends concerning the study of human behavior. On the one hand, you have those who claim human behavior is solely attributed to cultural upbringing; whereas on the other, you have those who claim that the nature of human behavior can be understood as a result of animalistic forces. This book lies on the latter side of the spectrum. There is an intrinsic property in evolutionary biology, this property is called the Red Queen. The Red Queen is nature herself; in her kingdom you must keep moving in order to stay static. This book discusses human nature within the context of the Red Queen—that how different evolutionary forces shape it in a dynamic way—and discusses it with regards to reproduction. The first part of the book uses examples from the animal kingdom, even plants occasionally, to draw parallels between evolution and human behavior. The second part, which was more interesting to my liking, focuses solely on human behavior. All in all, I say this is an interesting book to read. I especially liked how it covered some asymmetric aspects regarding behavior of different genders and societal structures. --- Changed