Xref: utzoo sci.bio:900 soc.men:2617 soc.women:9256
Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!rutgers!ames!amdahl!rtech!linda
From: linda@rtech.UUCP (Linda Mundy)
Newsgroups: sci.bio,soc.men,soc.women
Subject: Re: Rape: a genetic catastrophe
Message-ID: <1687@rtech.UUCP>
Date: 8 Feb 88 06:38:12 GMT
References: <517@gtx.com> <5129@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu> <2201@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU> <1966@bsu-cs.UUCP>
Organization: Relational Technology Inc. Alameda, CA 94501
Lines: 31

In article <1966@bsu-cs.UUCP>, dhesi@bsu-cs.UUCP (Rahul Dhesi) writes:
> In article <574@xyzzy.UUCP> throopw@xyzzy.UUCP (Wayne A. Throop) writes:
> [see earlier articles for full context]
> 
> What's interesting is the following question:  Why are some people so
> opposed to the hypothesis that rape reflects our genetic make-up?  I
> can understand people maintaining that this remains unproven, but I
> can't understand their vehemently insisting that it's necessarily
> false.
> -- 

I think it has to do with the notion of "right vs. wrong".  What I find 
interesting, is that scientists pose that question instead of others.  (Give
me a minute, I'm sure I can think of one...)  Here's one:  why is it that
no other "animal" besides Man (generic of course!?) exhibits the behavior of
organized warfare?  

As to why I find myself vehemently wishing that it's false, I guess that I
fear it would be used if not to justify rape, then to minimize its *moral*
significance.  I feel that the hypothesis itself reflects male bias.  And
strangely enough, I do find myself getting into the arena of right vs. wrong.
Is there a genetic predisposition to murder?  Are we asking the right
questions?

> Rahul Dhesi         UUCP:  <backbones>!{iuvax,pur-ee,uunet}!bsu-cs!dhesi

-- 
"The sun is but an egg, that hatches great things"

Linda Mundy	{ucbvax,decvax}!mtxinu!rtech!linda
		Relational Technology, Inc., Alameda, CA