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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: <23131@cca.CCA.COM>
Date: 10 Jan 88 12:09:35 GMT
References: <517@gtx.com> <5129@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu> <2201@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU> <616@PT.CS.CMU.EDU> <23111@cca.CCA.COM> <6514@jade.BERKELEY.EDU>
Reply-To: g-rh@CCA.CCA.COM.UUCP (Richard Harter)
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Organization: Computer Corp. of America, Cambridge, MA
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In article <6514@jade.BERKELEY.EDU> potency@violet.berkeley.edu (Tom Slone) writes:
>In article <23111@cca.CCA.COM> g-rh@CCA.CCA.COM.UUCP (Richard Harter) writes:
>copulation.
>
>>(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.
>
>Although orangutans are generally a-social, I believe that there have also been
>isolated reports of forced copulations between the chimpanzees to which I
>presume you are referring.

	Actually I wasn't thinking of forced copulation at all; I was 
thinking of propitiary presentation in chimpanzees and baboons.  I have read
the works you cite on chimpanzee behaviour and a bit on baboons and gorillas.
I haven't seen much on orangutangs.  If I recall correctly chimpanzees have
an extended estrus.  They have been known to go off on "honeymoons".
Females will present them selves to dominant males as an act of propitiation.
Weaker males sometimes do so also.  The actual mounting may be nominal.
[Or am I confusing them on this point with baboons?]  In any case the
sexual activities of the higher primates have social implications that
are not confined to breeding per se.

	One of the things that intrigued me about chimpanzees is that they
use the kow-tow as an act of submission to the chief (who is usually but
not necessarily male.)  In pre industrial times the single most reliable
measure of the absolutism of political authority was the degree to which 
people bowed.  In oriental despotisms people did the full kow-tow of 
abasement, as do chimpanzees.  In a strong monarchy one went down on one
knee; in weaker ones the courtly bow was sufficient.  And the free man
bowed to no one.
-- 

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