Xref: utzoo sci.bio:788 soc.men:2409 soc.women:8846 sci.misc:715 Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!burl!codas!ufcsv!gatech!bloom-beacon!athena.mit.edu!lazarus From: lazarus@athena.mit.edu (Michael Friedman) Newsgroups: sci.bio,soc.men,soc.women,sci.misc Subject: Re: Rape a reproductive advantage? Message-ID: <2320@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU> Date: 17 Jan 88 02:21:09 GMT References: <517@gtx.com> <248@nancy.UUCP> <6852@ihlpa.ATT.COM> Sender: daemon@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU Reply-To: lazarus@athena.mit.edu (Michael Friedman) Distribution: na Organization: Murder Inc. Lines: 51 In article <6852@ihlpa.ATT.COM> krista@ihlpa.ATT.COM (K.J.Anderson) writes: >There is no way human rape behavior could be an evolutionary >advantage, even if it were hereditary. Look at the consequences of rape: > >1. female can die of infection due to open wounds resulting from >forced entry >2. if female becomes pregnant, she must care for the baby herself >3. female may become so timid as to avoid males and reproduction >4. female may become so hostile, she may try to kill males >5. family of female may try to kill rapist >6. family of female may try to kill female >7. female may be considered too unclean for future mating with >someone else >8. spread of diseases > >See what I mean? It is very destabilizing to society, as it would >be for other animals, too. You are making a very common mistake. You are assuming that evolution works to produce the fittest species. It doesn't, except that unfit species become extinct. In actuality evolution works to produce the fittest individuals. The effect of rape on society is irrelevant to a discussion about the evolutionary status of rape. The only points that you make that still apply are 5 and 8. All of the others are bad for the species but do not affect the actual rapist. 5 is a good point. It is one of the best arguments around for some form of sterilization as a punishment for rape. My personal preference would be castration or the death penalty. In human society, however, 5 just doesn't happen enough. In most animals it doesn't happen at all. 8 is important, but unless the disease is fatal at least to the reproductive abilities of the animal it won't have an affect. Why should a rapist care if his victim gets VD as long as she still bears his child? (Note, when I say 'the rapist cares' I am using shorthand for 'this has some bearing upon the question of whether or not the rapist's genes will be propagated') > One last note. Whenever discussing survivability of traits, we >must remember that the trait does not have to be a perfect solution >or even the best solution. It certainly does not have to be a >morally righteous solution. It just has to work. Flamers, please remember the above. These are the official opinions Mike Friedman of my organization. So, TOUGH!!