The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex

The Descent of Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex was a book on evolutionary theory by British naturalist Charles Darwin, first published in 1871. It was Darwin's second large book on evolutionary theory, following his 1859 work, The Origin of Species, and is concerned with outlining explicitly the application of Darwin's theory to human evolution, and outlining in detail the theory of sexual selection.

Part II and III: Sexual selection

(Darwin's argument for sexual selection, and evidence)

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These quotes will be useful when these sections have been filled in a bit more. At the moment though they can't just stand on their own and don't lend themselves to the above text yet.

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Darwin on women, Part III, Ch. 19:

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"Woman seems to differ from man in mental disposition, chiefly in her greater tenderness and less selfishness ... Woman, owing to her maternal instincts, displays these qualities toward her infants in an eminent degree; therefore, it is likely that she would often extend them toward her fellow creatures. Man is the rival of other men; he delights in competition, and this leads to ambition which passes too easily into selfishness." He concludes that, because of sexual selection, "the average mental power in man must be above that of woman," and that this was evidenced by "man's attaining to a higher eminence, in whatever he takes up, than can woman ... If two list were made of the most eminent men and women in poetry, painting, sculpture, music (inclusive of both composition and performance), history, science, and philosophy, with half a dozen names under each subject, the two lists would bear no comparison." Darwin's application of his theory thus implicitly underwrote the institutional sexism of his time.

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