Why Males Exist by Fred Hapgood, 1979
An Inquiry Into the Evolution of Sex
A provocative examination of why the male gender exists at all shapes up as something of an antidote to the more macho sexual tracts that have been appearing in the wake of sociobiology. (E.g., Wallace, below.) The Atlantic Monthly science columnist goes so far as to say that "males have been devised by females to aid them in their competition with other females."
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But Hapgood observes--solemnly and reductively--that female worker bees feed their sisters three times as much as their brothers since they are three times as closely related to them! (Never mind body size; metabolism; functional differences.) So beware the Jabberwock. . . but for readers who enjoy fascinating accounts of the doings of birds and bees, they are plentiful and well-presented here.
@appassionato
> males have been devised by females to aid them in their competition with other females
The author draws a long bow there, given that sexual reproduction is also found in plants, which presumably didn't learn it from animals ; ) One fact to consider is that all else being equal, genetic diversity leads to healthier offspring, and a higher chance of them surviving and reproducing. Requiring 2 individuals to reproduce tends to increases gene diversity more than auto-fertilisation.
earthling
Strypey