Reviews
Penisin Şekli Neden Öyle? ...Ve Anatomi, Parafili, İnanç ve Evrim Üzerine Düşünceler by Jesse Bering
roseybot's review against another edition
GARBAGE. Heavily biased and gross and just generally awful. DNF at the point where the author declares that people "self proclaim" asexuality and are lying to themselves.
muheb's review against another edition
3.0
"The great thing about good science is that it's amoral and objective and doesn't cater to the court of public opinion. Data don't cringe: people do."
Jesse Bering is an evolutionary psychologist who studies sexual behaviour. Some of the essays were fun and interesting. Others, not so much. And some were so boring.
The title refers to just one of the 33 essays and I don't think does the book justice because it is in fact a work of intellectual breadth covering an incredible range of material. Penises, bodies, the brain and sex, sexual preferences, homosexuality, suicide, and religion.
I was disappointed that the women section was so lacking, and the religion and suicide sections were so superficial and boring.
Over all that was a book that is worth reading and was informative and deserved its price.
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"During the female copulatory orgasm the cervix rhythmically dips into the semen pool, thereby increasing sperm retention (by at least 5 percent) relative to intercourse without orgasm, along with the probability of conception."
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"The first documented case of full-blown Klüver-Bucy syndrome in humans arrived in 1955 ..... developed a ravenous sexual appetite, among other things."
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"Male cats possess remarkably specialized penises. They come equipped with a band of about 150 sharp, backward-pointing spines that, literally, rake the internal walls of the female cat's vagina (hence the deafening yowl that often accompanies feline sex)."
Jesse Bering is an evolutionary psychologist who studies sexual behaviour. Some of the essays were fun and interesting. Others, not so much. And some were so boring.
The title refers to just one of the 33 essays and I don't think does the book justice because it is in fact a work of intellectual breadth covering an incredible range of material. Penises, bodies, the brain and sex, sexual preferences, homosexuality, suicide, and religion.
I was disappointed that the women section was so lacking, and the religion and suicide sections were so superficial and boring.
Over all that was a book that is worth reading and was informative and deserved its price.
===================================
"During the female copulatory orgasm the cervix rhythmically dips into the semen pool, thereby increasing sperm retention (by at least 5 percent) relative to intercourse without orgasm, along with the probability of conception."
iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
"The first documented case of full-blown Klüver-Bucy syndrome in humans arrived in 1955 ..... developed a ravenous sexual appetite, among other things."
iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
"Male cats possess remarkably specialized penises. They come equipped with a band of about 150 sharp, backward-pointing spines that, literally, rake the internal walls of the female cat's vagina (hence the deafening yowl that often accompanies feline sex)."
lydiasigwarth's review against another edition
3.0
Well, I certainly learned something new.
He barely talked about consent at all, which I found disconcerting?
He barely talked about consent at all, which I found disconcerting?
shamuwilson2's review against another edition
3.0
3.5/5 stars. Bering has a fun style that does a good job introducing psychological studies and concepts to a lay audience without ever being condescending towards the readers. As a scientist, I was naturally inclined to take most of these evolutionary psychology hypotheses with a grain of salt, but overall it was a fun read providing a look into some of the interesting hypotheses for various human phenomena that others have brought forth. Bering is also quite funny, which makes the book engaging and fun to read through.
mgcco's review against another edition
4.0
A few months ago, I noticed myself just looking at good-looking guys (some of whom used to make my heart palpitate a bit) and feeling nothing. Absolutely nothing. It was then that I realized that I must be getting old, since just a decade ago, butterflies in my chest and stomach were a constant whenever I would come face-to-face with a "potential mate" (in the Filipino language there is a word for this: kilig).
And so I reflected on it. Maybe, I theorized, evolution has dictated that female thirty-somethings should have long concluded their "mate-hunting" phase and should instead focus on rearing healthy offspring (who would, in turn, ensure the health of the global population). Stomach butterflies, in this case, are only for those females who have yet to choose "dependable and loyal" mates destined to help them rear those little gene-passers. Okay, plausible answer.
So this is the kind of mind I have (and I will not apologize for it), and the kind of mind I wish to encourage in my future offspring (a questioning, not salacious, mind, MIND YOU). This is also the kind of (nerdy) mind that would be intrigued with Dr. Jesse Bering's Why Is the Penis Shaped Like That: And Other Reflections on Being Human. Needless to say, I enjoyed his essays (and evidence-based theories) immensely.
Now I must admit that there were some topics in the book that made me uncomfortable (I will not enumerate them here lest I be accused of prudery). They still make me uncomfortable now that I have finished the book. Nevertheless, I think Bering was right in saying that "the great thing about good science is that it's amoral and objective and doesn't cater to the court of public opinion." He further pointed out (and rightly so): "Data don't cringe; people do."
Some of the concepts that Bering introduced(I don't know and can't verify at the moment if these are new, by the way), such as "green burial" and "animal laughter," were really thought-provoking (I am now seriously considering of someday having myself buried, not with a non-biodegradable coffin, but with a shroud—and a special acacia tree planted above me). I was also interested in Bering's scientific examination of the suicide phenomenon and his reflections thereafter: "If there is one thing I've learned since those very dark days of my suicidal years, it's that scientific knowledge changes perspective. And perspective changes everything. Everything. And, as I alluded to at the start, always remember: you're going to die soon anyway; even if it's a hundred years from now, that's still a blink of a cosmic eye. In the meantime, live like a scientist—even a controversial one with only a colleague or two in all the world—and treat life as a grand experiment, blood, sweat, tears, and all. Bear in mind that there's no such thing as a failed experiment—only data."
This book is definitely not for the moralists and the faint of heart. But for those who are open to learn about (and subsequently discuss) usually "icky" topics, Dr. Bering's book is one hell of a joyride.
And so I reflected on it. Maybe, I theorized, evolution has dictated that female thirty-somethings should have long concluded their "mate-hunting" phase and should instead focus on rearing healthy offspring (who would, in turn, ensure the health of the global population). Stomach butterflies, in this case, are only for those females who have yet to choose "dependable and loyal" mates destined to help them rear those little gene-passers. Okay, plausible answer.
So this is the kind of mind I have (and I will not apologize for it), and the kind of mind I wish to encourage in my future offspring (a questioning, not salacious, mind, MIND YOU). This is also the kind of (nerdy) mind that would be intrigued with Dr. Jesse Bering's Why Is the Penis Shaped Like That: And Other Reflections on Being Human. Needless to say, I enjoyed his essays (and evidence-based theories) immensely.
Now I must admit that there were some topics in the book that made me uncomfortable (I will not enumerate them here lest I be accused of prudery). They still make me uncomfortable now that I have finished the book. Nevertheless, I think Bering was right in saying that "the great thing about good science is that it's amoral and objective and doesn't cater to the court of public opinion." He further pointed out (and rightly so): "Data don't cringe; people do."
Some of the concepts that Bering introduced(I don't know and can't verify at the moment if these are new, by the way), such as "green burial" and "animal laughter," were really thought-provoking (I am now seriously considering of someday having myself buried, not with a non-biodegradable coffin, but with a shroud—and a special acacia tree planted above me). I was also interested in Bering's scientific examination of the suicide phenomenon and his reflections thereafter: "If there is one thing I've learned since those very dark days of my suicidal years, it's that scientific knowledge changes perspective. And perspective changes everything. Everything. And, as I alluded to at the start, always remember: you're going to die soon anyway; even if it's a hundred years from now, that's still a blink of a cosmic eye. In the meantime, live like a scientist—even a controversial one with only a colleague or two in all the world—and treat life as a grand experiment, blood, sweat, tears, and all. Bear in mind that there's no such thing as a failed experiment—only data."
This book is definitely not for the moralists and the faint of heart. But for those who are open to learn about (and subsequently discuss) usually "icky" topics, Dr. Bering's book is one hell of a joyride.
mcallan0627's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book; surprisingly my favorite chapter was the second one on suicide at the end. With (if I recall) an exception of one chapter, they were all well-researched and amusing, leading to my being entertained while learning.
feeona's review against another edition
3.0
This was really an interesting read. I actually learned a lot of new things about our bodies, especially the genitals and evolutionary development. Unfortunately most about women's bodies, their genitals or hormones is still not known, this really bugged me. Not the authors fault, he spoke quite frank about this, but most of chapters talking about women didn't include many scientific information, because there is barely any. How can this be? Why doesn't science care about this? But this was the only thing I found disappointing about the book, and as said, it isn't the authors fault. In general the writing is very open and colloquial, Jesse Bering also gives private insights and opinions and some sarcastic comments which makes it fun to read.