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Fuentes aims to debunk popularly held and persistent misconceptions (or myths) concerning the validity of racial variation, the tendency for male aggression, and the nature of monogamy in human societies. Beneath a vulnerable veneer of culture, do basal instincts govern our behavior? Drawing on data from his own research and teaching and delving into a broad array of interdisciplinary literature, Fuentes reveals a more nuanced and richer portrayal of how nature, culture, and choice interact to influence human behavior, and he makes his case in an accessible, conversational narrative. Fuentes takes a common sense approach to the subject, carefully explaining what evolution is (and is not), what culture is (and is not), and how the myths of human nature have been developed and perpetuated. By carefully debunking and "busting" each of the three primary myths of human nature covered in the book, Fuentes leaves readers with a toolkit for assessing other aspects of human behavior from a similarly critical and informed perspective.

Race, Monogamy, and Other Lies They Told You: Busting Myths about Human Nature