The Sexual Imperative (1993)

Description The Sexual Imperative explores the reasons for sexual and asexual reproduction in the insect and animal world, and concludes with a look at human sexuality. Shows how sexual reproduction works in favour of natural selection and how species such as bees and bonalia worms control the male-female balance in their communities. The opportunistic sexuality of the barnacle is observed and selective, co-operative reproduction among termites, which preserves the species in its best condition, is shown. Humans complicate the issue of sexuality by their imagination which creates an infinite range of desires, anxieties and taboos in the course of which the basic purpose of sexuality is diminished to vanishing point. Humans live long beyond reproductive usefulness without necessarily outliving the sexual imperative.