" (Tooby and Cosmides).
Without undertaking an independent investigation of the evidence used to support each author's work, it is impossible to determine who makes the most valid arguments. However, if the facts listed argued by Tooby and Cosmides are true, then they do much to bolster the arguments made by Thornhill and Palmer. In fact, the arguments made by Thornhill and Palmer are very sound from a logical point-of-view, even if it is ultimately impossible to prove or disprove their hypothesis. That at least one species of animal has evolved a special organ specifically to accomplish rape clearly establishes that rape can be an evolutionary function and can be related to genetic evolutionary success. Furthermore, they do not focus on the motives of modern rapists, but instead on what type of behavior may have led to the selection of genes that would promote raping behavior. If reproductive age women and disenfranchised men are overrepresented as rape victims and rapists, those factors would seem to support an evolutionary element to rape.
The aspect of Coyne's argument that appeared the weakest was his due focus on child molestation and homosexual rape. For a man, the act of having sex with a child or with another man is, by definition, maladaptive sexual behavior, because it is impossible for such sex to result in the transmission of genes. Therefore, to use the fact that both children and males are highly represented among rape victims to disprove the concept that rape behavior is the result of evolution is irresponsible science. Consensual homosexual sex is maladaptive sexual behavior, and the gene for homosexuality, if there is one, is not represented in a significant portion of the population. However, the rape gene, if there is one, would have to be highly represented in society, since the percentage of men who have forced sexual contact on a partner is much higher than the percentage of men who have engaged in consensual homosexual contact. Therefore, it is clear that these genes are not the same genes; as a result, one could be homosexual and still carry a gene that combines violence with sexuality. However, one's homosexual orientation would naturally translate that impulse to homosexuals. The same argument could be made for child molestation. Coyne's failure to acknowledge that possibility is his greatest...
Evolution of Rape One of the most controversial theories in evolutionary psychology is the idea that men have evolved a rape adaptation. This is considered a controversial notion because when this theory was introduced many people felt as if it was an attempt to provide excuse or justification for rape. For many years, sexual assault advocates focused on the idea that rape was about violence, not about sex, and it
When viewed from that perspective, it becomes understandable that a jury could not eliminate the second story beyond a reasonable doubt, and, therefore, had to acquit Michael of the crime. Psychological treatment of suspect Given America's complex racial history, it is no surprise that race is oftentimes seen as a significant factor in rape. There is no doubt that black men have been unfairly targeted as rapists in America. This is
Girls join gangs, Bilchik explains, because of "higher levels of normlessness" in her family, and she may have been the victim of incest or rape (older male siblings or an adult male in the household). Gangs provide a way of "solving social adjustment problems," Bilchik writes. Going through adolescence brings with it "trials and tribulations," and being in a gang gives a young man a sense that he is dealing
The overall literature available on this theory is more or less mixed as some studies claim that there is nor relation between the two concepts (Pelletier & Herold, 1988), whereas others state that rape fantasies are high where women are sexually suppressed (Hariton & Singer, 1974), yet another study concluded that the women who had higher ratio of rape fantasy were mentally more healthy towards the concept of sex (Gold
Marital Rape Attitudes toward Marital Rape among College Students Close to 62% of female rape victims are between the ages of 12 and 24 (Rosenthal 407), an age group which encompasses the college years. This would explain why an estimated one in four college women have been raped while attending college (Rosenthal 412). The men responsible for this statistic, between 7 and 25% of all male college students, admit to forcing a
For instance, according to Begley, "Men who were promiscuous back then were more evolutionarily fit since men who spread their seed widely left more descendants. By similar logic, evolutionary psychologists argued, women who were monogamous were fitter; by being choosy about their mates and picking only those with good genes, they could have healthier children" (2009, p. 52). Although modern men and women may not look like Cro-Magnums, they
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