Mike,
While it's easy to overstate what these researchers are hypothesizing (and
they see it as a hypothesis, not anything very firm, I believe), and also
responses to it, would it be surprising if evil (as well as good) is very
natural for humans? Don't Christians believe that humans have a sinful
nature? That fact doesn't simply excuse yielding to it, right?
Evolutionary psychology is often very speculative, but I think it's
surprisingly insightful in its comments wrt human sexuality in general, even
if not -necessarily- in this particular case.
(Myself, I've never found the typical feminist view of rape -- just a crime
motivated by violence, not at all sex -- at all cogent, so that doesn't
count much against this new theory for me. But then, I find feminist
theories in general to be wanting....)
John
> -----Original Message-----
> From: evolution-owner@udomo3.calvin.edu
> [mailto:evolution-owner@udomo3.calvin.edu]On Behalf Of MikeBGene@aol.com
> Sent: Wednesday, January 26, 2000 9:23 PM
> To: evolution@calvin.edu
> Subject: Evolution and Rape (was Re: The Kansas Science Education
> Standards)
>
>
> Bertvan:
>
> >Are you
> >suggesting children should be blindly indoctrinated with the
> "truth" of Neo
> >Darwinism, gradualism, "random mutation and natural selection as a known
> >mechanism for macro evolution", merely because religious people are in
> >disagreement?
>
> Susan:
>
> >I'm saying that children should be given the results of
> scientific research
> >and not have the results of that research concealed because it seems to
> >conflict with the tenets of one religion.
>
> Hmmm. One wonders if this argument will one day be used to support
> the teaching that all boys are potential rapists. For those who have not
> heard, a new book is about to hit the market written by two evolutionary
> biologists. Their thesis is that rape is something that has been
> selected by Darwinian evolution. It is thus as natural for a human male
> to rape a female as it is for a cheetah to chase down a gazelle. What's
> interesting is that a Boston lawyer plans on using this evolutionary
> science to defend his client (accused of rape). Darwinism thus resurrects
> the old "she asked for it" defense. In fact, the evolutionary
> biologists who
> propose this thesis also suggest that women should stop dressing so
> provocatively.
>
> Just think. Evolutionary science may one day be used to teach all
> the little boys they are potential rapists. It may also be used to
> enforce a dress code where all the girls need to be covered from the neck
> down. How ironic.
>
> Mike
>
>
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