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From: g-rh@cca.CCA.COM (Richard Harter)
Newsgroups: sci.bio,soc.men,soc.women,sci.misc
Subject: Re: Rape a reproductive advantage?
Message-ID: <23111@cca.CCA.COM>
Date: 10 Jan 88 03:09:03 GMT
References: <517@gtx.com> <5129@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu> <2201@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU> <616@PT.CS.CMU.EDU>
Reply-To: g-rh@CCA.CCA.COM.UUCP (Richard Harter)
Distribution: na
Organization: Computer Corp. of America, Cambridge, MA
Lines: 38

In article <616@PT.CS.CMU.EDU> lindsay@K.GP.CS.CMU.EDU (Donald Lindsay) writes:
>In article <2201@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU> joe@athena.mit.edu (Joseph C Wang) writes:
>>Forced copulation in humans and ducks are completely different phenomenon.
>
>This simply isn't correct.
>
>Monogamy is a reasonable strategy for living and for child raising. Its wide
>presence in both birds and mammals demonstrates that it has a fundamental
>advantage. But, this implies the existence of bachelors, who will not
>reproduce at all, unless they rape. Now that we have this insight, field
>researchers have reexamined notes, and made new observations, and sure
>enough, rape is seen. It would be presumptous of us to think that we stand
>apart from this pattern: "we aren't animals, after all!".

	This, and the entire line of [deleted] reasoning is dubious.  It is
true that some animals "rape".  And it is equally true that there are good
biological reasons for this.  However the analogy is faulty.

(1)	Human females are almost unique among animals in not having estrus.
They can and do breed at any time, regardless of whether they are fertile at
the time.  "Rape" in ducks, et al, has the immediate advantage of passing
on the genes, if it is successful.  The reproductive advantage of rape, in
humans, is marginal because the chance that the female is fertile at the
time is low.

(2)	Copulation, in humans, is a social activity.  This is not confined
to humans; the higher primates also use copulation as a social activity,
albeit not to the extent that humans do.  The higher primates tend to
use copulation to confirm dominance relationships.

(3)	Humans, to an extent far beyond that of any other animal, act
under conscious control, in the context of a learned and shared culture.
A bachelor duck is, so to speak, operating on autopilot -- a human is not.
-- 

In the fields of Hell where the grass grows high
Are the graves of dreams allowed to die.
	Richard Harter, SMDS  Inc.