The Anatomy of Sex and Power: An Investigation Of Mind-body Politics

Synopsis

Is it possible that power— the desire that men and women, liberals and conservatives, have to possess it, wield it—has biological roots as strong as those of sex, producing ecstasies and rewards that are just as sensual and erotic? Yes, answers Michael Hutchison, to these and other questions, in this pioneering and assuredly controversial book. The brain revolution of today—the technological knowledge of what goes on in the brain—is as tradition- shattering as was the sexual revolution of the sixties. The Anatomy of Sex and Power explores the implications of both revolutions by drawing on recent research in such diverse areas as evolutionary biology, anthropology, neuroanatomy, biopolitics, and information theory. Hutchison finds that sex and power are fused in largely unsuspected ways, and that the evidence suggests our world is moved by sexual desires disguised as political ideologies and by the quest for power masked as sexual moralizing. He begins with a provocative historical overview, tracing the evolution of the forces in America that have become the most powerful practitioners of sexual politics—liberals, conservatives, descendants of the sixties counterculture and Human Potential movements, modern feminists, and religious fundamentalists—advocates all of different sexual agendas and conflicting strategies for gaining and using power. Moving from the sexual revolution of the sixties to what the author calls the “brain- mind revolution” of the seventies and after, The Anatomy of Sex and Power examines the wealth of scientific findings revealing that many biological differences, not only between the sexes, but also between personality types as distinct as risk-takers and risk-avoiders, are innate, the result of a natural selection process that has taken place over millions of years. And we see how such differences emerge not just in individuals, but in nations, cultures, and mass movements. But perhaps the most significant consequence of the new science is how it provides unique insights into contemporary politics. As The Anatomy of Sex and Power shows, many of today’s most divisive and explosive issues —including the Reagan-Bush economic and foreign policy agendas, the battle over reproductive rights, the effort to limit First Amendment guarantees — must be seen not only as conflicts between groups of individuals with biologically different personalities, but as ideological struggles to determine who among them will control virtually all aspects of political thought and social behavior. In exposing the stunning complexities of sex and power—the power of sex and the sexuality of power—Michael Hutchison’s bold, visionary synthesis turns a bright light on the emotionally charged issues of our time, and his book will leave no reader unmoved. He argues eloquently that as we free ourselves from the “hard-wired” behavior patterns of biological evolution and for the first time in human history begin to take control of our own evolution, our greatest power is information, and those who would limit its free flow pose the gravest danger to freedom and survival.

Copyright:

1990

Book Details

Book Quality:

Excellent

Book Size:

372 Pages

ISBN-13:

9780688065881

Publisher:

HarperCollins Publishers

Date of Addition:

01/22/21

Copyrighted By:

Michael Hutchison

Adult content:

No

Language:

English

Has Image Descriptions:

No

Categories:

Nonfiction, Psychology

Submitted By:

Larry Lumpkin

Proofread By:

Dat Lam

Usage Restrictions:

This is a copyrighted book.