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From: rcf@pnet01.cts.com (Bob Forsythe)
Newsgroups: sci.bio,alt.romance,soc.men,soc.women,soc.singles
Subject: Re: Are Humans Naturally Monogamous?
Message-ID: <6091@crash.cts.com>
Date: 5 Dec 90 01:36:03 GMT
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turpin@cs.utexas.edu (Russell Turpin) writes:
>
>In article <1990Dec4.055239.14558@magnus.ircc.ohio-state.edu> jpalmer@hpuxa.ircc.ohio-state.edu (John D. Palmer) writes:
>> The point is, something being 'natural' does not mean that 
>> it ALWAYS happens. . . I am 'naturally' right handed, yet I can
>> change to being left handed with a great deal of work and trouble.
>
>The question of what is natural to *humans* is one about all of
>us as a group, rather than any one of us as as an individual.
>Almost all humans develop a prefered handedness.  Most prefer the
>right hand.  Some prefer the left hand.  Despite such preference,
>humans can learn motor skills on either side; permitting
>individual desire, parental training, or cultural imperative to
>influence one's handedness.  Some claim that innate handedness
>shows through any such training, though the evidence for this is
>more subtle. 
>

     Nope.  Handedness is determined by several things, but cultural or
individual imperitatives are not among them.  Currently, there are 3
identified determinors; heredity, a trauma to the head while still in the
womb, and a massive release of testosterone into the womb just prior to birth.
Personally I'd find suggestions that my left-handedness was learned to be on
par with suggestions that gays are made, not born.  I have been left-handed as
long as I can remember, and it would feel extremely uncomfortable to attempt
to learn certain motor skills with my right-hand.  Of course, we are forced to
do that to a certain extent, since we live in a right-handed world, so that
may be where the fallacy comes from.  The fact that southpaws have learned to
adapt doesn't mean much in terms of evidence; put a righty in front of a
pencil sharpener with the handle on the left side and you'll see what I mean. 
You can hear the screams of rage halfway down the block.  Quite frankly, if
you're right-handed, you can have no conception of what you're asserting.  If
you're left-handed, I'd suggest a subscription to Lefthander Magazine.  It
might be enlightening.

>
>Russell


Bob c/o The OTH Gang
rcf@pnet01.cts.com


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