Biology

— Will Durant

— Richard Maybury

We have 21st century minds, but our brains and bodies are from the Paleolithic. That’s when humans became humans.

Compared to the condition of our ancestors, we of the modern unnatural world are fantastically hale and hearty. But — my key point — today’s male is walking around with the amount of testosterone necessary to cope with the poverty of the natural Paleolithic.

I don’t write about women, here or anywhere else, because I’ve never been one and don’t know enough about them. So this article is mostly about men. I find us rather simple and transparent.

After being a man and watching them for 70 years, I think everything about our behavior boils down to just two words, testosterone toxicity. Well, not everything, but plenty.

I truly mean toxicity, poisoning. In my opinion, the removal of natural stressors makes our Stone Age level of testosterone poisonous — so much so that this is the most dangerous — and unrecognized — medical and behavioral problem in today’s world.

I believe this poisoning explains, for instance, both world wars, the Vietnam War and the Cuban Missile Crises.

Think about it. Males have not only enough testosterone to generate the gumption to charge a mastodon, but enough to win the fight using just sticks and rocks. What would we expect from such people when they’re given control over tanks, artillery and aircraft carriers?

Ask any doctor. Testosterone is a powerful psychotropic chemical. It can warp judgment just as surely as alcohol and cocaine. History offers many examples.”