Volume 46, Number 16 · October 21, 1999
The Unmaking of Men
By Andrew Hacker
Stiffed: The Betrayal of the American Man
by Susan Faludi
Morrow, 662 pp., $27.50
The Decline of Males
by Lionel Tiger
Golden Books, 323 pp., $23.00
The Dark Side of Man:Tracing the Origins of Male Violence
by Michael P. Ghiglieri
Perseus, 323 pp., $26.00
What Our Mothers Didn't Tell Us: Why Happiness Eludes the Modern Woman
by Danielle Crittenden
Simon and Schuster, 202 pp., $23.00
A Return to Modesty: Discovering the Lost Virtue
by Wendy Shalit
Free Press, 291 pp., $24.00
The First Sex: The Natural Talents of Women and How They Are Changing the World
by Helen Fisher
Random House, 378 pp., $25.95
Well, yes, men and women differ. But after granting that, what do we say next? Can we find encompassing statements that apply to every member of each gender? We all know of polygamous women and monogamous men, which would refute one sweeping assertion, however deftly rhymed. Still, the impulse to universalize springs eternal, especially in professions that place a premium on theory. To make their arguments sound conclusive, authors are wont to cite authorities. Scripture used to be a source. Today the source is more apt to be science, which has an even greater aura, since its laws and principles and findings are the closest we have to settled truths. In fact, reliance on science goes back a long way. Recall how classical economists cited Newtonian physics as part of their rationale for unregulated markets. Now even fundamentalists who seek to sway curriculums call their alternative 'creation science.'
Review, 5312 words
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