There is a lot of talk at the moment about an important aspect of humanity, one that could even be considered to define our species, with the catchy title of ‘toxic masculinity’.

This is happening at the very moment that the news cycle is dominated by a small number of testosterone-fuelled mega-maga-men, each of whom is powerful and apparently untroubled by societal norms and even national and international law. Ignoring for the moment ants and mycelium, and the occasional argument by Douglas Adams for dolphins and laboratory mice, humans rule the world, and all on the back of testosterone.

This is what conquered the continents, subjugated indigenous peoples and wiped out the Neanderthals, the American buffalo and the Great Auk along the way. That’s about as toxic as you can get, but the history books, often written by men, generally report it uncritically.

Men, it appears, are more able to put empathy to one side in war, politics, business and even personal relationships. It makes us conquerors, martyrs, messiahs, war criminals, chess grandmasters and gropers.

So, what is to be done, or, more fundamentally, is anything to be done? Will Putin, Netanyahu and Trump end their days staring at a cell wall? We, men, are the masters of sexual violence. Parliament, men and women working together, is there to make the law fit for purpose, and radical changes may be necessary to tackle this epidemic. Surely, multiple accusers are highly unlikely to be malicious, so might we reflect that in law, rather than sexual predators receiving the benefit of the doubt in repeated he-said she-said disputes?

For men who confine their violent misogyny to the home, hiding behind the castle walls of an Englishman or other Briton’s home, let some light shine in. Perhaps the compulsory installation of an audio recording device or two would do the trick.Women produce the generations. We men are extras, an evolutionary trick to improve said evolution. Are we now expendable?We males appear to be simple creatures.

As boys, we practice – just not empathy. Is it for many at that age so unnatural that its imposition is part of what is driving boys from education?As young men, we are driven to seek a mate, and here again the capacity for empathy, or otherwise, appears to be crucial. Not that the empathetic naturally get the girl.

A deep voice – as a placeholder in this argument – is both the result of testosterone and a powerful aphrodisiac.A third stage of our lives is as a parent, with that same hormone driving some to an unhealthy possessiveness. And I am currently enjoying a fourth, where I have the opportunity to enjoy a gentle fatherly role with my grandchildren. Would defeating masculinity, or its toxic manifestations, destroy some of the spark in the eyes of young women? Do we genuinely wish to rid the world of violence? Will either men or women tolerate such a change? And how is it to be done?