In over two hundred and fifty references Ehrenreich pinpoints attitudes and actions of societies from Aeschylus, Stanislaw Andrzejewski, Homer, and Virgil. Authors such as Richard Dawkins, Riane Eisler, Lewis Mumford, Robert G.L. Waite, Dudley Young, Erich Fromm, and James B. Frazer touch on genetics, rituals, psychopaths, ecstasies, human destructiveness, and roots of religion.

Dozens of others are cited in publications since 1950 analyzing human behavior from the past about subjects as diverse as evolution, menstruation, symbols, mythology, human sacrifices, aggression, history of war, and warrior-heroes. Many of those are studies published in the 80's and 90's that scrutinize other earlier sources of human actions.