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A review by majesticpotoo
Le deuxième sexe, I by Simone de Beauvoir
3.0
I've been struggling to rate this book. And not only that, I've had issues with how I want to judge this book in general.
Because I acknowledge that it's a product of its time and that it's not only its contents but also its cultural impact, BUT... And I am still unsure whether what comes before or after that "but" is the more important thing.
Because that book is both of those things, and that the same time is so wrong. Not necessarily ideologically, that can - and should - be discussed. But factually, especially when it comes to evolutionary biology and early human history.
And again, I acknowledge that this was the state of the science back then, but now, in 2018, as someone with a vivid interest in both those subjects, I found it ridiculously hard to ignore when she drew conclusions (often far-fetched, unfortunately) from facts that we now know to be false.
Because yes, women were creators and discoverers throughout history, also VERY early on.
Because no, natural selection(and other similar evolutionary mechanisms) was not debunked, and no, most sexual relations in nature do not happen by force and against female's will.
And so on, and so forth.
But overall an interesting read, if very outdated.
Because I acknowledge that it's a product of its time and that it's not only its contents but also its cultural impact, BUT... And I am still unsure whether what comes before or after that "but" is the more important thing.
Because that book is both of those things, and that the same time is so wrong. Not necessarily ideologically, that can - and should - be discussed. But factually, especially when it comes to evolutionary biology and early human history.
And again, I acknowledge that this was the state of the science back then, but now, in 2018, as someone with a vivid interest in both those subjects, I found it ridiculously hard to ignore when she drew conclusions (often far-fetched, unfortunately) from facts that we now know to be false.
Because yes, women were creators and discoverers throughout history, also VERY early on.
Because no, natural selection(and other similar evolutionary mechanisms) was not debunked, and no, most sexual relations in nature do not happen by force and against female's will.
And so on, and so forth.
But overall an interesting read, if very outdated.