This timely title weighs masculinity’s capacity for good against its potential for destruction in the context of contemporary debates on the topic. In the wake of the MeToo movement and the upsurge in both feminist and men’s rights activism, traditional masculinity has become the topic of impassioned debate. Is Masculinity Toxic? interrogates the myths surrounding modern manhood, asking whether—and how—we need to change our attitudes toward masculinity in the twenty-first century. Therapist Andrew Smiler addresses the topic of masculinity in four chapters: “Evolving Understandings of Masculinity,” which examines the history of ideas about masculinity, “Male Power to Harm,” which dissects the societal impacts of “toxic” masculinity, including bullying behavior, rape culture, and early male mortality; “Men and Interpersonal Relationships,” discusses how men are encouraged not to express their feelings, the sexual objectification of women, and male attitudes toward fatherhood; and “Changing Face of Masculinity Today,” which details the ways in which masculinity might adapt to the last century’s sweeping changes in gender roles. Is Masculinity Toxic? revisits all sides of the debate, recognizing the positive impact of some of today’s models of masculinity while acknowledging the failures and limitations of others.

When we are born, we are each assigned a gender based on our physical anatomy. But why is it that some people experience such dissonance between their biological sex and their inner identity? Is gender something we are or something we do? Is our expression of gender inborn or does it develop as we grow? Are the traditional binary male and female gender roles relevant in an increasingly fluid and flexible world? This intelligent, stimulating volume assesses the connections between gender, psychology, culture and sexuality, and reveals how individual and social attitudes have evolved over the centuries.

The past sixty years have witnessed astonishing bursts of growth in the field of Artificial Intelligence the science and computational technologies that teach machines to sense, learn, reason and take action. AI is already changing our lives, in ways that benefit health, productivity and entertainment. Are we on the threshold of an AI-dominated world, in which humans will no longer be necessary?

Written by an expert in the field, Does Monogamy Work? examines why monogamy is the social norm and the growing interest in alternative relationship models. Even with the current rise in awareness of sexual and intimate diversity, monogamous relationships remain the cultural norm. Most people aspire to it, and the state encourages it, providing legal and financial benefits to married couples; however, statistics show adultery is commonplace, marriage rates are falling, and divorce figures are rising. This entry in the Big Idea series traces the evolution and normalization of the monogamous ideal—questioning whether it is “natural” or not—and surveys the spectrum of alternative relationship models that people are seeking out in a world of internet dating and birth control. It explores the emotional and psychological facets of ethical polyamorous relationships; questions whether these relationships benefit men disproportionately and whether they are compatible with raising children; and assesses the likelihood that diverse forms of multipartner marriages and large friendship networks will become the norm in the future. With over 150 color images and incisive, engaging, and authoritative text, Does Monogamy Work? examines society’s attachment to monogamy, evaluates its benefits and limitations, and assesses the merits of polyamorous relationship models in our modern world.

A nonfiction investigation into masculinity, For The Love of Men provides actionable steps for how to be a man in the modern world, while also exploring how being a man in the world has evolved. In 2019, traditional masculinity is both rewarded and sanctioned. Men grow up being told that boys don’t cry and dolls are for girls (a newer phenomenon than you might realize—gendered toys came back in vogue as recently as the 80s). They learn they must hide their feelings and anxieties, that their masculinity must constantly be proven. They must be the breadwinners, they must be the romantic pursuers. This hasn’t been good for the culture at large: 99% of school shooters are male; men in fraternities are 300% (!) more likely to commit rape; a woman serving in uniform has a higher likelihood of being assaulted by a fellow soldier than to be killed by enemy fire. In For the Love of Men, Liz offers a smart, insightful, and deeply-researched guide for what we're all going to do about toxic masculinity. For both women looking to guide the men in their lives and men who want to do better and just don’t know how, For the Love of Men will lead the conversation on men's issues in a society where so much is changing, but gender roles have remained strangely stagnant. What are we going to do about men? Liz Plank has the answer. And it has the possibility to change the world for men and women alike.

This book reevaluates the role of work in society and its place in our lives as technology, economics, and environmental necessity are creating the possibility of working less and working better. COVID-induced work from home, demand for government support, changing attitudes toward paternity leave, climate change and advances in AI: these and other factors have profoundly changed our relationship to work. Work is so integral to our lives and our culture that we have internalized beliefs about its value and have built our economies and lifestyles around those beliefs. Expert Matthew Taylor reviews how the meaning, status, and structure of work have changed across history and societies. He goes on to posit that we are approaching a new era of work. He outlines some of the factors that might lead to change, including the adoption of forms of universal basic income, the growth of the zero- or low-cost economy (renewable energy, user-generated content, community mutual support), and the growth of self-employment and quasi- autonomous ways of working (including from home) in organizations. He concludes that such changes might foster a more fundamental shift: a growing intolerance of the idea of work as a burden and a desire to transform it from something imposed on us into simply the means by which we live our best lives together, recreating in modern conditions with modern resources a prehistoric unity between being and working.

What Shape is Space? is a question with surprisingly far-reaching implications for our understanding of the very nature of reality and our place within it. The concepts involved may be sophisticated, but Giles Sparrows effortless prose style easily renders them understandable, allowing readers to get to grips with the overarching debates at the cutting edge of cosmology today. Infographics, diagrams and astronomical visualizations illustrate and clarify the various astonishing implications of a universe of infinite space.

This provocative, “critically important” memoir of working-class boyhood in rural Indiana offers a searing cultural analysis of toxic masculinity in American culture (NPR). As progressivism changes American society, and globalism shifts labor away from traditional manufacturing, the roles that have been prescribed to men since the Industrial Revolution have been rendered obsolete. Donald Trump's campaign successfully leveraged male resentment and entitlement, and now, with Trump as president and the rise of the #MeToo movement, it’s clear that our current definitions of masculinity are outdated and even dangerous. Deeply personal and thoroughly researched, the author of The People Are Going to Rise Like the Waters Upon Your Shore has turned his keen eye to our current crisis of masculinity using his upbringing in rural Indiana to examine the personal and societal dangers of the patriarchy. The Man They Wanted Me to Be examines how we teach boys what’s expected of men in America, and the long–term effects of that socialization―which include depression, shorter lives, misogyny, and suicide. Sexton turns his keen eye to the establishment of the racist patriarchal structure which has favored white men, and investigates the personal and societal dangers of such outdated definitions of manhood. “ . . . exposes the true cost of toxic masculinity . . . and takes aim at the patriarchal structures in American society that continue to uphold an outdated ideal of manhood.” —Book Riot

Contributions by Daniel J. Connell, Esther De Dauw, Craig Haslop, Drew Murphy, Richard Reynolds, Janne Salminen, Karen Sugrue, and James C. Taylor The superhero permeates popular culture from comic books to film and television to internet memes, merchandise, and street art. Toxic Masculinity: Mapping the Monstrous in Our Heroes asks what kind of men these heroes are and if they are worthy of the unbalanced amount of attention. Contributors to the volume investigate how the (super)hero in popular culture conveys messages about heroism and masculinity, considering the social implications of this narrative within a cultural (re)production of dominant, hegemonic values and the possibility of subaltern ideas, norms, and values to be imagined within that (re)production. Divided into three sections, the volume takes an interdisciplinary approach, positioning the impact of hypermasculinity on toxic masculinity and the vilification of “other” identities through such mediums as film, TV, and print comic book literature. The first part, “Understanding Super Men,” analyzes hegemonic masculinity and the spectrum of hypermasculinity through comics, television, and film, while the second part, “The Monstrous Other,” focuses on queer identity and femininity in these same mediums. The final section, “Strategies of Resistance,” offers criticism and solutions to the existing lack of diversity through targeted studies on the performance of gender. Ultimately, the volume identifies the ways in which superhero narratives have promulgated and glorified toxic masculinity and offers alternative strategies to consider how characters can resist the hegemonic model and productively demonstrate new masculinities.

What does it really mean to say that boys will be boys, men are from Mars, or that contemporary men are in crisis? Does modern psychology support or refute these notions? And how is psychological theory and research about boys and men used in society? The Psychology of Men in Context is an essential introduction to the field which challenges readers to examine psychological research on men, masculinity, and gender, and consider its impact on daily life, through everyday speech, popular media, political rhetoric, and more. The authors offer a range of lenses for studying masculinity, including biology, social learning, social constructionism, feminism, and intersectionality. Demonstrating how these frameworks can be used to understand research on pressing topics such as violence, health, and relationships, the book also considers masculinity in its broader philosophical and historical contexts, equipping readers with the tools needed to connect the psychology of men with other areas of social science. Exercises and prompts to help students relate the research to their own lives are included throughout. Designed for students at undergraduate and graduate level, but suitable for anyone curious about understanding the field from a more critical social scientific perspective, The Psychology of Men in Context is a valuable introduction to the history, current scholarship, and social implications of the psychological study of men and masculinity.